Counting Days
by 13wolfplayer
Summary: Set a few weeks after the second Ofunehiki, Chisaki Hiradaira and Tsumugu Kihara find themselves struggling between their friendships, life, and their relationship as barriers begin to test them and how far they would go for each other. Meanwhile, the weather is indecisive as always and things begin to change in Shioshishio and Oshiooshi... Chisaki/Tusmugu fluff
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! Welcome to my first ever Nagi no Asukara fanfiction! I noticed how there isn't much fanfiction of this amazing anime and there are pretty much only one-shot stories. So! I have decided to make a long fanfic of Nagi no Asukura. This will focus mainly on Chisaki and Tsumugu and their relationship as well as the others and starts off a few weeks after the second Ofunehiki! Be warn that the first few chapters will probably be slow so I can steadily introduce the main parts of the story, but there will be plenty of fluff of Chisaki/Tsumugu and other pairings! Please enjoy and review!**

* * *

Another day passes. And yet another day where she would count every hour, minute, and second until he comes back home from university. Chisaki Hiradaira sighs for the umpteenth time at the dining table as she absentmindedly picked at her food.

"If you're going to just play with your food, might as well go to bed," Isamu Kihara mumbled while chewing slowly on his food. It had been a few days after Isamu had fully recovered and was able to return back to the house, but the household was still as quiet as it had been ever since…he had left. Chisaki stared at her food for a moment before she stood up and brought her plates over to the kitchen sink. There was a pair of eyes full of concern that followed her every movement. Kaname Isaki had noticed her recent small change in behavior and the small depression that she was facing by herself. Secretly, he wished that she would share her problems with him, yet he could not bring himself to ask her about it. If she really needed to voice out her emotions again, she would eventually come to him.

Isamu took a sip of his water and grunted. "You're too impatient, girl. He's going to be back here by the end of the week."

Chisaki nearly toppled over. "W-what? I already know that already! You don't need to remind me."

Chisaki resumed washing her dishes with a very red and flustered face. Isamu closed his eyes and shrugged while Kaname lowered his gaze to his lap.

A few weeks had passed ever since the second Ofunehiki, and a few weeks after that was when Tsumugu Kihara had returned back to his university in the city. Although mostly everyone from Shioshishio had awaken from their five year hibernation and the temperature had decreased dramatically, Tsumugu and his professor still felt that they needed to continue to study the ocean and if the climate would stay stable. Kaname knew that Chisaki loved Tsumugu and vice versa, and he had gotten over his feelings for Chisaki when Sayu proclaimed her feelings for him. However, there was a dull pain in his heart whenever Chisaki would become flustered and embarrassed over Tsumugu. Perhaps it was because he had harbored this love for Chisaki for a long time, and it hurt that she was with someone else besides him. Kaname shook his head. He promised that he would move on and consider Sayu properly, and thinking about his unrequited love for Chisaki would only confuse him further. Besides, he knew deep down inside him that he approved of their relationship.

After Chisaki cleaned her dishes and went to her room and Isamu had gone to sleep, Kaname resigned in his room, which he shared with Tsumugu. Lying on his back, he stared up at the white ceiling and thought back to Tsumugu. He would be back in two days and be staying for a week. From what he had heard from Manaka (who had forced Chisaki to talk to her about her progress with Tsumugu), the two of them never discussed about where their relationship stood now. Manaka had gotten mad at Chisaki for this, but Kaname, being the more patient and understanding of the two, reminded Manaka that Tsumugu had left shortly after his confession to go back to college and that they never got the chance to properly talk.

Kaname smiled fondly. Manaka was still mad with Chisaki, but dropped the subject and began to talk about how "cute" Hikari was during class while he slept. Kaname giggled as he recalled how their sensei called Hikari's name and the young boy nearly fell out of his seat. He turned to his side and looked out the window where the moon shone brightly and illuminated his room.

"Two more days, huh…" Kaname murmured under his breath. He wondered what would have happened if he had stayed with Chisaki and Tsumugu throughout the five years, what would happen if he had been more aggressive with his feelings.

He shook his head. _No matter how much I try to think about it, I would get the same results in the end. If it wasn't Hikari, it was always going to be Tsumugu._

Kaname felt a wet sensation run down his cheeks and his nose and he inwardly laughed.

 _Even though I tell myself this… that Tsumugu and Chisaki are a good match together… it still hurts the same._

In a nearby room, Chisaki was sprawled on her bed as she hugged her pillow.

"Only one more day, two more hours, and fifty-five more seconds until he comes back home." Her eyes fluttered and drooped as Chisaki stifled a yawn.

"Fifty-four…fifty-three…fifty-two…"

* * *

 _~The next day at 10 a.m.~_

"Tsumugu! Tsu-mu-gu!"

Tsumugu's professor loudly yelled by his side, hoping to obtain his colleague's attention. Tsumugu's eyes were focused outside the window as he watched the fluffy clouds move ever so slowly in the bright blue sky. It reminded him so much like home as well as the sea and _her._ He turned his head forward and was surprise to see his professor panting and out of breath.

"What's the matter?"

The professor merely collapsed down on his seat and ruffled his hair.

"I was trying to get your attention for the past five minutes, Tsumugu! I got a new lead on the sea and the climate based on the information the people of Shioshishio had provided!"

The professor turned to Tsumugu for a reaction, but was disappointed to only see a blank and bland gaze.

"What's with you today? I mean, usually you wouldn't be jumping up and expressing excitement from hearing such news, but you also don't usually zone out like that. You're attentive."

Tsumugu shrugged his shoulders and replied, "That is very good news that you got a lead on the case since we still need to understand the cause and lasting effects on the sudden change of increase and then decrease in the weather. It's just that I've got things on my mind."

"Hm?..Ah! I get it! It's that nice girl that lives with you. Ah, er...Hiradaira-san, was it?"

When Tsumugu nodded his head, the professor's smile turned to a huge grin.

"Ahaha! I knew it! I knew when you said nothing is going on between you two, there _was_ something that was going on!" The professor patted Tsumugu's back.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for daydreaming like that. I just miss home and I want to catch up with the others again. I left pretty quick after everything had gotten back to normal."

Tsumugu's professor raised his eyebrows and made an 'o' with his mouth. He then smiled and snapped his fingers.

"Tsumugu, you've been working hard ever since you returned back to the city. I think you deserve a well earned break from your studies."

In a rare show of emotion, Tsumugu widened his eyes and exclaimed, "But professor! I can't possibly take an early vacation. We still got so much research left and I don't want to risk making our sponsors drop out on us."

"It's not even that early! Only a day and I bet that Hiradaira-san is waiting for you as well."

Tsumugu closed his mouth and blushed lightly as the professor chuckled with amusement.

"Now, go on and get packing. Don't worry about the project or anything related!"

Tsumugu, deciding to take the offer, bowed his head, murmured a thanks, and hastily left the room. The professor leaned back in his chair and smiled.

 _I never seen so much emotion ever rise from him! Hiradaira-san must be a factor in that. He's a well-behaved and discipline young man, so I'm sure that she will be delighted to see him early!_

Meanwhile in Tsumugu's room, he began to pack some of his clothes and his study material in his duffle bag as soon as he arrived. He had left some clothes back at home, so he didn't really need to bring too much clothes with him. Tsumugu lived in a small apartment in the city near his college, at least close enough for walking distance. He honestly didn't really like the city; it felt too cramp and the air wasn't as fresh as the air back at home.

As he locked up his apartment door and walked towards the elevator, he had a ghost of a smile on his face.

 _If I catch the noon train, I could arrive at Shioshishio by two._

He secretly hoped that she would be home by then.

* * *

Hikari Sakishima angrily kicked a rock as he stormed all over town.

"Stupid Manaka! I didn't mean to knock her drink all over her notebook! She didn't have to make a huge deal about it and then have Miuna get involved and lecture me! This irritates me!" Hikari, after becoming exhausted from fuming and spouting out angry nonsense, sat down at a bus bench and relaxed.

"Maybe I shouldn't have ran away and skip class. I know for a fact that Akari is going to yell at me too...ugh! Why do women have to be so infuriating!"

As Hikari continued to debate and talk to himself, a bus slowly came to a stop and let off a low creak. A few people left the bus and gave Hikari a confused and curious look, but one person stopped directly in front of him. Noticing a shadow cowering over him, Hikari stopped talking to himself and glared up at the person blocking the sun.

"What do you want?!" He barked before he gasped.

Tsumugu, with his bag slung over his shoulder, met Hikari's surprise/annoyed glare with a cool and leveled gaze.

"I'm glad to see you haven't lost your spirit, even after a month I've been gone."

Hikari, finally regaining his composure, smiled widely and cried, "Welcome back! Why are you back a day early? Never mind that, you missed out on a bunch of things!"

Before he could continue, Hikari closed his mouth as he watched Tsumugu lean forward and give him a stern look.

"And may I ask why are you not at school? It's only one forty-five."

Hikari laughed nervously and directed his gaze to the sea.

"Well, uh...did you know that Chisaki is almost done with her training? Maybe we should go- ow!"

Tsumugu whacked Hikari lightly on the forehead with his knuckles.

"B-a-k-a. Don't try to change the subject. Even though we're friends, I'm still going to tell Akari-san about this."

Tsumugu breathed out and began to walk towards Akari's house. Hikari, left behind, rubbed his forehead and shouted, "Oi! You just got back and you're already pissing me off! Hey!"

Hikari ran up to Tsumugu and walked comfortably next to him. Next, came silence. Hikari rolled his shoulders back and tucked his hands into his pant's pockets.

"You still speak as much as a pole, Tsumugu." Hikari smirked.

"And you still pop off like a firecracker, Hikari." Tsumugu shot back without missing a heartbeat.

"Shut up!"

And that was pretty much how their conversation went as they trekked towards the house. It was full of insults and arguments at the same time contained some lighthearted and comfortable small talk.

At one point of their conversation, Tsumugu asked, "So how are you and Mukaido? Any progress?"

Hikari, at once, became a blubbering mess as he tried to find his voice again.

"What the hell? Why are you asking that from out of the blue?!" Tsumugu stopped walking and shifted his eyes to the sea.

"I don't know. I guess because I was wondering about me and Chisaki."

"Huh? You and Chisaki haven't moved forward yet? You need to grow some balls and do something about it!" Hikari turned around and glared up at Tsumugu with a smug and pursed grin.

Ever so slightly annoyed, Tsumugu replied, "Says the one who's been childhood friends with the girl he likes and hasn't moved their relationship either."

As they approached the house, Akira suddenly burst through the front door, screaming with delight.

"Tsu! Tsu!" He yelled as he tackled into the surprise Tsumugu and knocked him down. Hikari stood there, speechless, as his sister and the mother of Akira, Akari, appeared in the front door.

"Aw geez! I'm so sorry, Tsumugu-kun! I look away for a second and then he's outside running!"

Akari appears next to the two on the ground and plucked the young boy off of Tsumugu.

"No problem, Akari-san. It's nice to see you again."

"Weren't you suppose to come tomorrow? If I had known, I would have called Chisaki and tell her to change out of her nurse outfit."

At the sound of this, Tsumugu felt his blood turn cold. He kept his emotionless composure as he asked, "Chisaki is coming right now?"

Akari, slightly confused, nodded her head.

"Mh. Yeah, I told her that I made some extra food and she was more than welcomed to take some home after she was done with her training so she didn't have to cook tonight. Well, aren't you lucky! You get to see Chisaki in her nurse uniform!"

Akira, in Akari's arms, shouts out, "Chii! Chii!"

Hikari grinned and poked at Tsumugu's side.

"Ehehe! In a few minutes, Chisaki is going to be here in her hot nurse outfit!"

Tsumugu frowned and said, "I've seen her once before in it."

"Pft, yeah! But this one is more...revealing and will get your blood pumping!"

Akari moved next to Hikari and slammed her fist down on his head.

"Stupid! ...And why are you here? You're suppose to be at school, you slacker!"

"Shut up, Stupid Akari! Stop acting like Mom already! You're Miuna's and Akira's, not mine!"

The two siblings fight as Tsumugu quietly excused himself and sneaked inside of the house. He walked throughout the spacious house before settling in the living room. He sighed and went to lie down onto the floor. The sun shined brightly through the screen door and blinded him slightly to the point where he had to cover his eyes with his forearm.

"I really want to see you. Hurry up and come already."

* * *

"Chii-chan! You should really stay over Hii-kun's house today! I want to tell you how he spilled milk all over my notes that I had worked on really hard! Pleeeease?" Manaka Mukaido whined to Chisaki as they walked.

"As much as I want to gossip and catch up with you, I have to go home early. Not only do I have to take care of Grandpa, but I need to prepare the house when Tsumugu comes home. I'm really sorry, Manaka."

"Chii-chan~"

Not too far from them was Miuna Shiotome, her best friend, Sayu Hisamuna, and Kaname.

"Man, Chisaki-san worries too much for Tsumugu-san! It must be hard!" Sayu complained as she observed.

"I guess, but it must be a nice thing to look forward to..." Miuna smiled. "Plus it's fun watching Chisaki-san getting all flustered over Tsumugu-san like that."

"Geez, you guys! Stop it already." Chisaki blushed and glared at the three younger girls.

"But Chii-chan! I think you should wear your new nurse outfit tomorrow. You get to show off how far your legs and chest have grown over the past five years! Tsumugu-kun will definitely be surprise!"

Chisaki's mouth dropped open with disbelieve. "No way! I miss my old outfit. I don't know why they had to shorten the skirt and make me wear one size down my usual size..."

Desperately, Chisaki tries to lower her skirt, but since it was attached to the upper portion of her outfit, it put further strain on the cloth near her chest. Kaname smiled with sympathy and shook his head.

"Come on, Manaka. Stop bullying her like that."

"But I wasn't!"

Miuna and Sayu laughed as Manaka clutched onto Kaname's sleeve and complained some more to him.

After some small talk and a few more minutes, Miuna's house eventually came into view.

"Wait. Do you hear that?" Sayu raised her hand and signaled the others to stop talking.

Kaname smiled and opened his mouth, but Manaka's hands stopped him from saying anything.

"Sssshh! I think that's Hii-kun and Akari-san!" Manaka exclaimed happily and began to prance faster to the house.

"Wait, Manaka! It sounds like they're in one of their fights again. Hikari is for sure going to lash out at Manaka."

Chisaki called Manaka a few more times before deciding to run after her. Kaname, Miuna, and Sayu shared a worried and hesitant look before they followed Chisaki.

As they approached, they began to hear the conversation between the two siblings.

"You're such an octopus head! If you continue to cut class like that, you're going to be ten years behind instead of just five years!"

"It was just one time! One. Time! And it was because Miuna kept nagging me for something that Manaka- Manaka?! Why are you here?"

"Stop, Hii-kun! How many times have I told you to stop being mean to girls?" Hikari, completely bewildered, stood there as Manaka appeared next to him.

"Huh? Wait a minute! Why is everyone here now?!" Hikari barked as the rest of the crew sheepishly caught up. Chisaki was utterly out of breath while Sayu and Miuna were flustered. Kaname chuckled and replied, "Well, we ran into Chisaki on the way back from school and decided to accompany her."

Manaka nodded and distinctly noticed Akira. She perked up and joyfully said, "Hello there, Akira-kun! How are you today?"

Akira became aware of himself and tightened his grip onto Akari's shirt. He buried his face into the crook of her neck as she laughed at her young child's actions.

"...Want down!" He tugged at his mother's shirt. Akari sighed, but obliged to his order and placed him down on the ground. Akira stared up at Manaka for one more second until he darted inside of the house.

"Whoa, amazing! That kid is fast at running." Hikari mused, clearly impressed.

Blinded by embarrassment from encountering Manaka, Akira ran, not even knowing where he was going. In his little mind, all he cared about was to hide away from Manaka. As soon as he stepped foot into the living room, he tripped on something hard. He would have fell on the floor if it wasn't for Tsumugu, who was conveniently there to cushion Akira's fall.

Tsumugu sat up at the sudden weight on his stomach and nearly tipped the dining table over. Akira scrambled off of Tsumugu, frightened by his sudden actions.

Tsumugu's dark eyes scanned the room for a second before realizing that he was neither at his apartment nor home and that he was in Hikari's living room. Second, he noticed the scared child by his side and confirmed that the boy was about to cry.

"Akira? What's wrong," Tsumugu reached towards Akira and patted his head. "Actually, the real question is how long have I've been asleep."

"Namaka and Miu and her friends are here," Akira sniffed.

"I see." Tsumugu nodded his head and stretched his arms out. "I need to change before Chisaki comes. Also, I doubt the others would like to see me in such a lousy state." Tsumugu wore a plain dark blue v-neck shirt with a white undershirt. It was slightly wrinkled after he had taken a nap and from Akira's fall.

Tsumugu rubbed his shaggy hair and grabbed his duffle bag near Akira. "Excuse me. I'm just going to change my shirt to something else real quick."

He tugged at his shirt and undershirt and pulled it over his head while Akira watched, curious.

"Chii. Chii." Like a parrot, Akira chanted out his nickname for Chisaki. Faced away from Akira, Tsumugu replied, "Mh. Yeah, she's going to be here soon. Don't worry."

"Chii! Chii," Akira continued more persistently. Tsumugu whirled around and opened his mouth to ensure the toddler that she was indeed coming when he suddenly found himself looking at a pair of bright blue eyes that resembled the sea.

"Chii," Akira repeated one more time before he got up and ran out of the room. Chisaki stood near the entrance of the living room, clearly shocked as well as flushed to see Tsumugu in the middle of the living room, sitting there and half naked.

"Chisaki. I..." Tsumugu started, but trailed off when he noticed her outfit. He began to turn pink and averted his gaze down. "G-gomen."

Chisaki shook her head awkwardly and hastily said, "It's fine! You got nothing to apologize for. Uh, er..."

Looking up again, Tsumugu offered her a small smile and murmured, "I'm back."

She felt tears well up in her eyes, but she wiped them away and shakily mumbled back, "Welcome back."

She leaned against the entrance frame and observed Tsumugu. He had definitely grown a bit more from the last time she had saw him. His hair was a bit longer, the ends at the side of his head were somewhat curly, and his body had changed from when they were fourteen. Despite the fact that she had seen him shirtless a few times over the past five years due to either swim unit or when he took a shower and walked around the house with only a towel around his waist, she never had time to full admire him. His chest and stomach were lean and tanned from all the time he spent outside at the sea, and his arms were robust, probably from all those times he hauled up fish with his grandpa.

"What's up," Tsumugu asked after a few minutes had passed by without either of them saying anything.

"N-nothing!"

Chisaki turned away from him, trying hard to get rid of the blush that had formed onto her pale face. She wished that the world would stop right now so she could recollect herself and her thoughts, which had gone astray. However, the world didn't stop for Akira as he stepped behind Chisaki and readied his hands.

"Kancho!"

He stuck his fingers up Chisaki's butt, catching her off guard, and she yelped as though she had just gotten stabbed by a knife. She lost her footing and began to fall forward.

Tsumugu shot up, his adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Chisaki!" He yelled out.

* * *

Hikari and Akari stopped arguing as they heard a woman's scream nearby.

"Hey...wasn't that Chisaki's?!"

"Huh? But why would- hey! Wait, Hikari," Akari yelled after her brother as he pushed past her and ran towards the house.

Hikari bursted through the front door and screamed Chisaki's name like a madman.

 _Dammit! Nothing better have happened to her...what if there's some asshole robbing the house right now and they found Chisaki? Shit, when I get my hands on that punk..._

Hikari clenched his teeth and cursed inwardly.

"Hikari! Hold on for a moment," Kaname called out to his childhood friend. He grabbed Hikari's wrist and forced him to crouch down. "Calm down. We need to be quiet."

Hikari scrunched his face and spat out, "Why do we have to be quiet?"

Kaname shushed Hikari and it was then that Hikari realized how serious his friend was.

"Listen. I just saw Akira running away from the dining area. I think that's where Chisaki is because he looked pretty frightened."

Hikari clenched his teeth in anger and forced himself to continue to listen to Kaname.

"Come on. Let's go. But we have to quieter because you most probably attracted the attention from the citizens in Shioshishio by now."

Hikari grumbled in annoyance, but agreed with Kaname. Kaname nodded his head once and signaled Hikari to follow him. They traveled to the kitchen in silence, listening for any noises, especially from Chisaki.

"Where are the others," Hikari asked Kaname as they approached the hall leading to the dining room.

"As soon as you stormed inside the house, Akira came wailing out. He told us that he was at the dining room, but that was pretty much all the information Akari could get out of him. I told everyone to stay outside. Miuna and Sayu went down to the station to notify the police."

Hikari grunted in response and nearly fell over from his crouched position at the sound of a feminine squeak. Kaname stopped abruptly by the side of the entrance to the dining room and held up his hand to tell Hikari to keep quiet.

"W-w-w-what are you doing," came Chisaki's distressed voice. Kaname pressed his teeth together and peeked over the corner. He felt all the cells in his body freeze and his vision blur at the sight before him. He whipped his head back and placed his hand over his mouth in order to stop him from yelling.

"Hey! What's happening," Hikari whispered harshly, clearly irritated. Kaname remained silent, trying to contain the unfamiliar emotion building up in him. All he saw was a shirtless man on top of Chisaki, and her face. Especially her face. The flustered, shock, and terrified face of hers that he thought she should never express.

"O-ow! Stop!"

Hikari's eyes turned dark and he wanted to just run in there and save Chisaki from whatever was hurting her, but as he glanced towards Kaname, he felt himself shrunk back. Kaname's usual calm and soft blue eyes were piercing, like ice, and Hikari, for once in his life, felt terror towards his friend.

"K-Kanam-" Hikari started off, but his mouth became glue shut as Kaname stood up and ran into the dining room.

"You bastard!" Kaname hissed as he tackled the man off of a surprise Chisaki. "Kaname!" Hikari ditched any last effort of trying to stay hidden and ran to his male childhood friend. Hikari threw in a couple of punches at the man's face, who blocked it off with his forearm, as Kaname rolled off and went to the kitchen, which was connected to the room. Instinct led him as he grabbed a stray glass of orange juice and hurried back to the room. At this point, Chisaki was crying hysterically while Hikari and the man tussled.

"Take this," Kaname slammed the glass onto the man's arms, the glass shards cutting his right hand, but cut deep into the man's forearms. The man let off a pained cry, and at that point, Chisaki was at a loss of words. Hikari kicked the man's arms and forced him to kneel down onto the floor in pain and exhaustion. Satisfied, Hikari placed a foot onto his back and pressed down, making the man lay on the floor like a rug.

"That's what you get, bastard, for trying to hurt Chisaki! You perverted old man! You're almost as bad as Uroko-sama! Makes me want to throw up now..." Hikari sharply turned to Chisaki and asked, "Are you okay, Chisaki?"

Kaname was already by her side, trying to get her to look at him, but she slapped his hand away.

"I...I told you guys to stop! It's Tsumugu! You guys hurt Tsumugu!"

Hikari, thoroughly confused, stared blankly at Chisaki and then to the man. He instantly recognized his old friend's hair and body structure and instantly stumbled backwards.

"But...! I-we thought that he was a stranger breaking into the house and was about to-um..." Hikari's mouth opened and closed, almost like a fish's, trying desperately to defend his actions.

"Chisaki, we didn't...you know we would never harm Tsumugu on purpose..."

"Shut up! Just go away, you two!" She angrily lashed out at them, like a whip, and scrambled towards Tsumugu. "Oh my god...Tsumugu, please. Please be okay!" Chisaki knelt down to Tsumugu and turned him onto his back. Hikari bit his lip and turned his head away in shame. Tsumugu's lip was busted, probably by Hikari, while the upper part of his chest was bruised and had became purple in some areas. His forearms were torn and cut up, blood running down his arms and seeping into the carpet.

Barely audible, Kaname muttered under his breath, "Chisaki...what have I done..."

A few seconds later, there was chaos. Hikari wasn't sure what happened first, but all he remembered was Manaka's panicked and sorrowful screaming, Akari's bewildered and angry voice, Akira crying, and then Miuna and Sayu arriving and shouting above all the noise that they called for a doctor. Furious at himself and by what he had done and guilt eating him up, Hikari scampered out of the house, despite Manaka and Miuna crying out his name and Akari calling him back and demanding for him to man up and accept his mistake. Kaname stayed affixed to his spot, his gaze unwavering, even when Sayu and Manaka tried to calm him down and tell him everything was fine.

"Okay, everyone! Calm down! We need to relax and focus on Tsumugu-kun right now. Forget my hotheaded stupid brother. We need to take care of Tsumugu-kun as well as we can until the doctor comes," Akari ordered out to everyone. "Chisaki-chan, please take care of him to the best of your ability while I ask Kaname-kun some questions. Excuse us." She gently pulled Kaname out of the room and left everyone to follow her orders.

"Chii-chan..." Manaka placed a reassuring hand onto Chisaki's shoulder and settled down next to her. Miuna and Sayu exchanged a look before they decided it was better for them to gather supplies for Chisaki and leave the two best friends alone.

Chisaki wiped the tears from her eyes and clutched onto Manaka's hand from her shoulder and brought it down. The two of them shared a moment of silence together, but it was more than just silent for the two friends. Chisaki could feel the support and love radiating from Manaka and it truly touched her heart how she was able to have such a good friend for her here. Without saying another word, Chisaki released Manaka's hand and began to tend to Tsumugu's wounds.

"Manaka, can you get me a wet rag and then some cotton balls and bandages from Miuna-chan? Those items should serve as a temporary bandage to stop the blood," Chisaki asked Manaka. Manaka nodded her head and instantly went off to find the items she listed off. Chisaki smiled as she watched Manaka run around the kitchen in search of a rag; Manaka's determined and restless face made her laugh a little. She glanced down to Tsumugu and felt her smile fade a little.

"Tsumugu...I didn't mean to get angry at Hikari and Kaname, but they didn't have to do that..." she caressed some of his hair away from his shut eyes and placed her hand onto his cheek. "What's with you boys and your need to fight everything you see?" She mused to herself.

Manaka soon returned with both a wet rag and the two younger girls. "Here you go!" She handed Chisaki the rag and the first aid kit Miuna brought.

"Sorry we don't have anything better than that," Miuna mumbled in embarrassment.

"Don't worry. This is actually more than enough. Thank you, Miuna-chan," Chisaki thanked her. Manaka shooed Sayu and Miuna away from Chisaki and repositioned them so they were behind Chisaki.

Chisaki grasped Tsumugu's forearms and gently placed them onto pillows so they were levitated from the floor. She grabbed the wet rag and gently dabbed it onto his wounds to wipe off the excess blood. Tsumugu cringed at times in pain, and Manaka noted how Chisaki would stop and wait for a few seconds until he would relax.

 _She's such a good nurse, almost like a mom! You go, Chii-chan!_

Miuna stared at Manaka with confusion as Manaka nodded and smiled to herself.

Next, Chisaki grabbed some cotton balls and placed them onto the wounds. She made extra careful that the cotton balls wouldn't move before she reached over to the first aid kit and took out some big bandages. She tore off the wrappers and wrapped it around his arm until the cottons ball weren't visible anymore. After her work was finish, Chisaki leaned back and collapsed onto Manaka's lap.

"Chii-chan!" Manaka yelled out worriedly. She grabbed onto Chisaki's hand and held it in between her hands.

"I'm fine. It's just that I'm exhausted right now." Chisaki sighed. Manaka visibly relaxed and with a grin, added, "But Chii-chan! You're a really good nurse! You fixed up Tsumugu-kun in no time and he looks tons better now!"

"Stop it, Manaka. It's not that amazing, really. I bet Sensei could have done better than me at this."

"Nuh-uh! I'm being serious! She was amazing, right Miuna-chan? Sayu-chan?"

The two bystanders perked up as they hear their names and felt pressured under Manaka's encouraging stare and Chisaki's disbelieve one.

Miuna was the first to speak. "Yeah, Chisaki-san. You were really great! It looks as though a professional did it." Sayu nodded her head. "I think Tsumugu-san will be feeling a lot better under your care."

Beyond that conversation, it was quiet. Everyone had fallen into its comfortable grasp and took the time to think about what had happened and what to do next. Chisaki sat up from Manaka's lap and stared at the sliding door. The sea was quite visible from Akari's backyard, its surface sparkling under the bright orange sun as it set. It calmed down Chisaki and led her to think about the most random and trivial things, like how was her parents and Grandpa were doing, what she should cook for tomorrow, and her progress as a nurse. After everyone from Shioshishio had waken up from their hibernation, her parents were both sadden but understanding that she had wanted to stay on the surface with Tsumugu and Grandpa. Chisaki remembered the frown that was etched onto her father's face, but the reassuring smile he gave her and the teary eyes of her mother but how the corner of her eyes slightly wrinkled as she smiled kindly at her as well.

"You've truly grown, Chisaki. Makes me feel bittersweet when I remember that I have missed the most important years of your life," her mother told her before she left to go back to the surface. Chisaki turned around and replied, "Even though I've changed appearances, Mom, I'm still the same Chisaki from five years ago. Don't worry."

Yet, as she stared at Tsumugu and studied how every time his tan, toned chest rose up, he would scrunch up his face, just slightly, and how her heartbeat quickened when her eyes passed up from his chest to his peaceful and mature face, she knew that she had lied to her mother. The Chisaki from five years ago was fourteen, had loved Hikari, envied Manaka but loved her like a sister, felt safe and comfortable around the tranquil Kaname, and worried about how she was "too big." Now, she was nineteen, on her way to becoming a nurse, experienced high school and the rest of her teenage years without her three friends, and practically lived an entirely different life from everyone she had grown accustom to in her home under the sea. However, most of all she had become closer to Tsumugu, someone on the surface, and had fallen for him. Hard. Of course, she wouldn't allow him to have the satisfaction of her saying that outloud, but it was true. Back then a few weeks ago and even now, she wondered how, in the span of five years, had Tsumugu captured her heart.

She thought of Hikari and how him and Tsumugu were complete opposites. Hikari was hotheaded and reckless; Tsumugu was level-headed and cautious. Hikari was prone to speak out his mind, was loud and demanding, but Tsumugu was calm, took his time to think things out, and good at analyzing. Chisaki's mind drifted over to Kaname.

Five years had pass for her, yet it was fresh in her mind. His confession to her. Kaname wasn't a bad guy, in her opinion. He was attractive, well-mannered, respectful, and he was always there to hear her out. She wondered why she never noticed his feelings for her and why she never felt any romance towards him. It still confused her to this day. When it came out that her and Tsumugu were unofficially going out (Manaka spread the news to everyone), Kaname merely gave her a small smile and said, "Congrats, Chisaki. I'm glad." She noticed there was a tint of sadness and longing in his voice, but he didn't look or acted broken or too hung up about it. Then again, Chisaki thought, she wasn't good at figuring out other people's emotions and thoughts. Heck, she can't even figure out her own feelings until Tsumugu had to literally say it for her to accept.

"Chii-chan! Hello, are you there?"

Chisaki snapped out of her thought bubble and stared at Manaka. She was standing up now and was looking at Chisaki with curiosity etched onto her face. "Hey, hey. Akari-san said that the doctor came and wanted to see Tsumugu-kun and you."

"O-oh, really? Okay," Chisaki recomposed herself.

 _This is no time to reminisce about my life right now!_

"Ah, Hiradaira-kun! I should have expected to see you here once I heard that Sakishima-san summoned me to her house. How are you," the doctor greeted Chisaki as he walked in.

"Sensei, hello. There was just a...miscommunication and Tsumu- Kihara-kun had gotten hurt pretty badly. Er, sorry for the sloppy work, Sensei. I did the best I could have done." Chisaki bowed her head modestly.

"Nonsense! You fixed him up quite nicely. Kihara-san, was it? He's the boy of that old fisherman, hm?" The doctor placed his medical box on the ground next to Tsumugu and looked at him thoughtfully.

"Hmm... in fact, I don't think there was any need of my services, Sakishima-san. Hiradaira-kun done a good job here, but that's to be expected under my supervision," the doctor chuckled. It was then that Chisaki noticed Akari standing by the door, holding Akira's hand in her hand and Kaname standing next to her. He was staring off away from the room, instead looking down the hall, but Chisaki felt as though he was avoiding making eye contact with her.

"Also, be sure to ice that hand for a couple of days and to put the antibiotics I prescribed to you, Isaki-san," the doctor reminded him as he left the room.

 _Huh? Kaname hurt himself?_

Chisaki watched as Kaname showed the doctor an empty smile and said a small, "I understand," before he returned to his solemn stare.

"Goodbye, everyone! Hiradaira-kun, just do everything that I've taught you and that boy should be okay!"

Chisaki waved goodbye as her sensei walked off, accompanied by Akari as she showed him the way out. Miuna shuffled her feet and awkwardly said after a small pause, "Um, Chisaki-san. Mom told me that Sayama-san can drive you and Tsumugu over to your home. It's nearly seven, and Mom said that your grandpa might be getting worried about you two."

"Oh, is that so? I would appreciate that. Thank you, Miuna-chan."

Manaka, Sayu, Miuna, and Chisaki helped carry Tsumugu carefully over to the awaiting Shun Sayama and his signature work pickup truck.

"Whoa, whoa! What the heck happened with Tsumugu? I heard from Boss that he had gotten in a fight, but I didn't think it'd be that bad! Here, let me take care of the rest," Shun exclaimed excitedly. He took Tsumugu from the four struggling girls and easily carried him into the back of the pickup truck.

"Ehehe! Nice nurse outfit, Hira-" A fist collided into Shun's head and nearly made him bite down on his tongue.

"Hey! Go back to work and stop ogling at what's not yours," Akari scolded. "Yeah, yeah. Got ya," Shun waved off a dismissing hand and lazily climbed into the driver's seat.

"Seriously, what was I thinking when I agreed to look over his perverted butt," Akari rubbed her forehead. "Chisaki-chan, don't worry about anything with the boys. I've calmed down Kaname and I just heard Hikari storming back from his little "vacation" away from home. I'll take care of the two of them for today."

Chisaki bowed her head down to about her waist. "Thank you, Akari-san, for being so considerate and for taking care of us today." Akari laughed a bit. "Please, I've been having to take care of that stupid brother of mine since I was about his age. I've gotten somewhat use of it."

Chisaki cracked a smile and wished everyone goodbye as she climbed into the passenger seat. Manaka bid her farewell and demanded for Chisaki to allow her to visit tomorrow while Sayu and Miuna simply wished her well and that they would be coming with Manaka after school to check.

"Bye bye!"

"Chii-chan, bye!"

"See you tomorrow!"

As the car drove away, Chisaki heard many byes and see you later, but one voice rang out louder than the others.

"Please don't blame the boys!"

Chisaki stuck her head out the window and was surprise to find Akari flashing her a smile.

"Boys will be boys!"

Akari's figure and the other three became smaller and smaller as the car sped down the road until she couldn't see them anymore.

"Come on, now. Face the front, Hiradaira-chan!" Shun teased her.

"Oh, shut up," Chisaki playfully said back.

For the duration of the ride to the house, it was full of lighthearted conversations that ranged from how was school, what was it like at Shioshishio, and if that nurse outfit was permanent (obviously asked by Shun). It kept Chisaki's mind away from Tsumugu for a bit until Shun had to shake Chisaki away from her daydream and tell her that they arrived at the house.

"Thank you, Sayama-kun," Chisaki bowed her head after Shun had taken Tsumugu into his room and laid him down comfortably.

"No problem! All you got to do to thank me for my services is cook me one of your Shioshishio dishes one day!"

With one last grin, Shun waved off Chisaki and drove his car out.

Chisaki lingered in the front of the house for a moment, recapping on the day's events. She couldn't believe so much had happened. Yesterday she was counting the days and hours to when Tsumugu would return back home and she could honestly say that those ten minutes when she had been delightfully surprised to see him made her feel so lightheaded. And now that she had time to think, she didn't really blame the two boys for being mistaken at the situation.

 _After Akira had "kancho" her, she literally leaped forward and lost her footing. She screamed in fear because it was naturally the first thing that came in her mind. She distinctly recalled Tsumugu shouting her name and the next thing she knew, his body had cushioned her fall. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed his back to hit the ground, and they tumbled around until she was safely on her back with Tsumugu practically straddling her. His arms were on both sides of her head and his head was hung low as he exhaled unevenly._

 _"Are you okay," was the first thing he said after he caught his breath._

 _"Y-yeah..." Chisaki then realized their position and stammered out, "W-w-w-what are you doing?!"_

 _"Oh..." Tsumugu muttered under his head as he tried to get off of her. His hand accidentally pressed down on her hair and she winced in pain. "O-ow! Stop!"_

Chisaki breathed out and pushed some loose hair behind her ear.

"I even forgot to pick up the food from Akari-san...Now what am I suppose to make tonight?" She complained to herself. Chisaki opened up the door and entered the house while dragging her feet in defeat.

That was when she heard some noises from the kitchen.

"Huh? Is that you, Grandpa," Chisaki called out. There was no response, only some noises of plates being moved around. "Grandpa, what are you-" And then the sound of china hitting the floor and something that sounded like a body made Chisaki's blood cold.

"Grandpa!"

She rushed over to the kitchen and expected to see her elderly Grandpa on the ground. Instead, Tsumugu was cradling his arm as he clenched his teeth in pain.

"Tsumugu! Oh my god," she knelt down to Tsumugu and held his shoulders. "What are you doing? You're injured right now, you shouldn't be moving!"

She helped him stand up and led him back to his room slowly while holding up his weight. She delicately assisted and ordered him to lay down on his bed, but he refused and instead chose to sit up.

"I'm fine," he firmly stated to her.

"What are you talking about; no, you're not! You just woke up after being beaten up senselessly by Hikari and Kaname. And trust me, I know that Hikari doesn't throw out light punches."

"It's fine."

"Stop it! It's not okay!"

"Don't worry."

Each of Tsumugu's stubborn and quick response quickly lead to Chisaki's breaking point. She desperately tried to convince him to rest, but he refused to and kept repeating that it was fine.

"Stop! You don't understand how much they hurt you!"

Tsumugu physically tensed up and lowered his gaze down.

"Chisaki...you..." he started off, and he said her name as though she was a child and he was going to lecture her about how she was wrong for stealing candy from another kid.

Having enough of Tsumugu's halfhearted response, she broke.

"Stop it! Just stop!"

Tsumugu paused and stiffened at her raised voice. She stood directly in front of him and forced herself to calm down a bit before she continued.

"Why…why do you keep trying to say it's okay when it's _not_! I get it that Kaname and Hikari didn't mean it, but it doesn't make things fine or okay."

"Chisaki, that's not-"

"Shut up! Yeah, it is. You're trying to defend them because you know that I would get mad at them. It's not fair for you to keep protecting them from their actions. I don't care if it was accidental or intentional because it's the same results in the end. Why won't you understand?"

He gave her a cautious and hesitant glance, unsure on how to respond. Chisaki felt conflicted and confused as well; why was she so incline on blaming Hikari and Kaname? Wasn't it only a moment ago she was fretting over Tsumugu? Then why was she yelling at him now? She shook her head, tears nearly forcing themselves to fall out. She felt frustrated by all the questions swarming in her head, questions that made her torment herself.

"You always take the blame...taking it upon yourself. Like that time when you harbored Manaka's feelings when you knew that she really loved Hikari! That's not heroic, it's just spineless. It's..."

 _It's just like me._

She gasped and stepped back. Her subconscious just arose from the back of her mind and finally spoken out the truth.

 _Tsumugu is just like you and how you tried to keep your feelings in all by yourself about Hikari. Even now, you're trying hard to lock up your inner feelings._ Her subconscious seemingly sneered at her.

"No...that's not it," Chisaki muttered.

 _But it's true. If it's not Hikari and Kaname you're blaming, then it's yourself for allowing Tsumugu to get hurt. You need someone to blame. If you hadn't made it such a big deal about slipping, then Kaname and Hikari wouldn't have gotten the wrong idea. If perhaps you had continued to love Hikari, then things wouldn't have gotten complicated between the four of you and Tsumugu. If you had loved Kaname, then things would have been better. Didn't you say it yourself? You can't be the only one happy, right? But, if you look at how things are, isn't that just an empty lie? You're the only one happy while Hikari and Manaka haven't moved at all in their relationship and Kaname is still hurting. You're truly a selfish person, wanting things to never change yet you want a new life on the surface with Tsumugu..._

 _"That's not it! Make it stop, please..."_

"Chisaki!"

Like the front of a storm, Tsumugu's ashen eyes searched Chisaki's cobalt ones, hoping to bring her out of her thoughts. She was clutching the sides of her head in agony, until Tsumugu literally had to shake her out of it.

"Look at me," he demanded from her. Her gaze stayed fixated at her feet, her tears streaming down her cheeks and onto the soft carpet. When she didn't make any movement, Tsumugu sighed and brought his right hand down under her chin and gently tilted it upwards so she was forced to look at him. Next, he pulled her hands away from her head and set it down to her sides, and as carefully as he could, wrapped his arms around her back and held her close.

"T-Tsumugu..." she mumbled, and started to resist against him.

"Please don't try to run away from me again," he murmured against her hair. Chisaki could feel his breath against her neck, and it sent shivers up her spine.

 _No, not this again. Please..._

"I'm sorry, Chisaki. I understand that you were concerned about me and I shouldn't have dismissed it off like that," he started. Tsumugu rested his chin onto the crook of her neck and continued. "I believe that Hikari and Kaname weren't the ones to be blamed for hurting me, nor should you ever blame yourself." He tightened his hold onto her and brought their bodies even closer. "You're so strong, Chisaki. So strong, and fierce. One moment you're calm like the shore, and the next you're creating tidal waves. Don't you ever try to hide your feelings from me or the others again. Why can't you understand that I want to learn everything about you? What makes you mad, sad, happy, excited...all of those emotions. I want to know these things so next time we can avoid these kind of situations where you are tormenting yourself. It takes time for everyone to find happiness, but you stopping yourself from being happy won't help the others out."

His words were soothing and instantly calmed her down. She allowed him to talk, and he allowed her time to soak it all in. She snaked her arms from under his grasp and wrapped it around his back. She rested her left ear onto his chest and listened to his slow heartbeat. Why the heck was she even freaking about? Maybe she didn't want Tsumugu to end up like her, someone who was indecisive.

One minute, two, and then three minutes passed by until Chisaki giggled against Tsumugu.

"What's up," he asked casually.

"Nothing. It's just that I realized how much of an idiot I was just now."

"Yep."

She pulled away from him and playfully pushed him square in the chest, at least enough to make him fall onto his bed.

"You're not even going to try to deny it?"

Tsumugu cocked his eyebrow and replied evenly, "Why would I do that when it's true?"

She wiped her tears away with her sleeve and laughed. "What the heck is with that response?"

"Because, when I think about it, I fell in love with your personality and habits." He nonchalantly shrugged.

Chisaki immediately stopped laughing and felt her whole face light up like a Christmas light.

"W-w-what? Um, er..." she failed to think of a snarky comeback and fell into a stuttering mess.

"All of it. I observed you for five years and learned many things about you that I like and dislike. For example, you like to contradict yourself a lot. To deny yourself. You say that I'm spineless for harboring Manaka's feelings when I knew that she loved Hikari, yet you did the exact same when you claimed you loved Hikari but actually loved me."

"Huh? Hey, don't turn my words around...!"

"Before you decide on something, you hesitant and think that only the worse can happen. You're probably the complete opposite of the phrase _Carpe Diem_."

"I don't want to hear that coming from the guy who always likes to think things out..."

"However, if you're an idiot, then I'm stupid. I've spent five years sorting out my feelings for you and then practically allowed both of us to be in a whirlpool of pain. If I confessed five years ago, then maybe I could have saved you from all the pain you went through."

Tsumugu's voice was robotic and straightforward that Chisaki nearly missed out the true meaning behind his words if she didn't observe his face. Although he was able to deprive emotion from his voice and put up a poker face, Chisaki knew better. She learned that every time his bottom lip was raised slightly up, he was upset. Every time he squinted his eyes, he was either focused or serious about something. And what she thought gave the most indication of his feelings were his eyes. They were burning with regret, anger, passion, and affection.

"There's no way to undo it all," she managed to whisper out. She sat down next to him and held his hand, to his great amazement. "But there is time to regain time we lost and continue forward, right?"

Tsumugu's eyes visibly softened and he squeezed her hand. "Can I hold you?" He blurted out, like he did a few weeks ago, the day before the Ofunehiki. Chisaki, amused and touched, nodded her head in silence and allowed Tsumugu to pull him and her down onto his bed, underneath the shining full moon.

In her mind, there were many things she worried about, like Kaname, Hikari, and Manaka, but right now, it was as though Tsumugu turned a switch off in her head that allowed her to focus on his steady heartbeat and warm body.

It could all wait for tomorrow.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, well, well! That was really long, haha. I gotta say, it's super fun to write about these characters, at the same time difficult to try to stay in character since they all have so many personalities, especially Chisaki. Summer break is literally around the corner, so expect this to update somewhat regularly, and I'll try to make each chapter long and worthwhile for ya'll to read :). I know my grammar isn't the best thing in the world and sometimes I word things pretty awkwardly, but please stick by for the ride! The next chapter is already getting planned out, so look out for the next installment. Leave a review, it will be greatly appreciated, and let's sail the Tsumugu/Chisaki ship!**

 **On the next part:** **Chisaki and Tsumugu try to go further in their relationship, however, things start to rile up again in Shioshishio and Oshiooshi. Hikari and Kaname are overwhelmed with guilt from yesterday, while Manaka, Sayu, and Miuna have their own little problems.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another chapter and more progression in the story! There's going to be more Chisaki/Tsumugu fluff and more insight on the relationship between everyone this chapter! Enjoy and review, it helps motivate me!**

* * *

 _She opened her mouth, yet nothing came out. She wanted to reach out and catch him, but the water currents wouldn't allow her. Her eyes followed him as his body drifted further and further away from her into the abyss at the bottom of the sea. She wanted to cry, shout, yell._

 _But she couldn't._

 ** _Isn't this what you wanted?_**

 _She shook her head vigorously and screamed, yet there was no noise._

 ** _It all began when he came into your life, right? If he disappeared, then everything would have been fine._**

 _The salty seawater seeped into her open mouth and gagged her. What was happening? Why wasn't her ena protecting her? She thrashed around and prayed to the Sea God to save her._

 _To save him. Her only anchor in this messed up world they were living in._

 _Please...don't leave me Tsumugu...don't **die**..._

* * *

"Chisaki. Shhh, it's okay." Tsumugu mumbled, his voice laced with sleep. He rocked Chisaki back and forth in his arms, even though it caused slight discomfort on his wounds, as she cried soundlessly into his chest. He glanced over to his alarm clock and read the time as two thirty in the morning. He suppressed a yawn and comforted Chisaki by stroking her back gently. He closed his eyes and waited for her to let it all out. Although he wasn't sure what exactly made her cry, he knew that she must have had a nightmare about something horrible. It was a good ten minutes later when Chisaki's sobs turned into small hiccups and sniffles.

"You feel better now?" Tsumugu asked after he was sure she had regained her composure. She slightly moved away from Tsumugu so she could meet his gaze and quietly muttered a "yeah." He didn't press for any more information after that; he simply pulled the covers back over them (Chisaki had kicked it away during her nightmare), enveloped his arms fully around her again, and sleepily told her to go back to sleep.

Chisaki snuggled into his chest, soaking in his sweet smell that distinctly smelled like the sea and a bit of tangerine, and sighed in content. Her dream had terrified her to no extent.

It was when Tsumugu had fallen off the boat during the first Ofunehiki, back when they were fourteen and still naive. Chisaki recalled how she felt at that moment. At the time, she didn't have any deep feelings for him, but terror pulsed throughout her body. Her legs moved on its own as it pushed her to dive into the roaring and unstable sea in order to save Tsumugu. Even after she had found him, she struggled to carry him up until Kaname came and helped her bring him to the surface. Relief flooded her senses, and before she could understand what she was doing, she was hugging him close and thanking the Sea God for not taking away his life.

Her nightmare took a different route. It was one where she was unable to rescue him in time, and he eventually succumbed to the dark, deep sea. It was vivid and almost made her believe that Tsumugu had been taken away from her if it wasn't for his rhythmic breathing and his warm breath that blew upon the top of her head. It reminded her that he was alive, right here next to her.

And that was all she ever needed to know.

* * *

She was again the first to wake up from a dreamless sleep; the sunrays from Tsumugu's window blinded her and forced her to groan in annoyance. She found her body trapped under Tsumugu's loose grip on her, his hands lightly grazing over the back of her thighs. She was facing him, her head just below his chin. Chisaki's heart fluttered; she couldn't handle all of these sensations and emotions she was indirectly receiving from Tsumugu. She wiggled out of his bear hug, causing him to mumble in protest, but he easily fell back to his dream. Chisaki shook her head to chase the sleep out and slapped her cheeks lightly. She needed to wake up and get ready for the day; however, as she clutched the doorknob, she glanced back at Tsumugu. He was still shirtless from the previous night and had his dark navy blue jeans hung low on his hips. He used his right arm as a pillow as he slept on his right side, his bangs swooping over his eyes. The blanket was hanging off the edge of the bed, practically discarded. She noted how his left cheek was a nasty dark purple and glistened under the sunlight. His left shoulder and around his right rib shared the same color as his cheek, except it wasn't as dark.

It probably wouldn't end up as scars, but it still hit something in Chisaki's heart. She knew she needed to apologize to both Kaname and Hikari for acting out like she did, but she felt a lump in her throat every time she thought about talking to them. It was fresh on her mind, the brutal expression on Hikari's face and the frosty gleam in Kaname's eyes.

 _Stop thinking about it, Chisaki. You need to get a hold of yourself._

She silently excused herself from Tsumugu's room and sneaked out of the hallway. Chisaki decided that she would make breakfast for them, since she was starving from skipping out on dinner yesterday, and she was sure that Tsumugu was going to be hungry as well when he woke up.

At the kitchen, she worked hard to make a big breakfast. The clock that hung near the entrance of the kitchen read nine thirty-two, which was pretty late to what Chisaki was used to getting up at.

"I have to go back to Akari-san's house later on today and face Hikari and Kaname. They're my closest friends. I have to fix this problem," she egged herself on. Her mind drifted more over to Kaname and remembered how he avoided making eye contact with her. "…Especially Kaname. I made too many mistakes with him."

"I never knew you liked to talk to yourself so much until today."

Chisaki's right hand faltered at his voice, which was _really_ nearby, and she would have dropped the bowl of rice she was holding if Tsumugu weren't there to catch it. His right hand grabbed a hold onto hers and helped steady the bowl. Chisaki felt her senses heightened as she felt his chest press against her back. His heat radiated from his body to hers, making her feel warmer than if she was under a blanket.

"Gomen. I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized. Tsumugu stepped back and allowed Chisaki to place the rice onto the counter.

"You seriously need to announce when you're coming. One day you're going to cause someone to have a heart attack!" She tried to sound stern, but her heart was still pounding hard and her voice ended up sounding high pitched and strained.

Why did he make her to such a dysfunctional mess with just his voice?

"And why were you so close to me, anyways?! I could practically feel your breath on my ear."

Tsumugu shrugged and offered her a slightly sly grin. "I wanted to have a closer look at what you were making. It smelled really good."

Chisaki blushed at his small compliment. "A-anyways, go into the dining room. I'm almost done preparing."

Tsumugu nodded his head and exited out of the kitchen nonchalantly. Chisaki breathed in deeply and sighed, almost hoping with that one breath she would be able to get rid of all the unfamiliar feelings Tsumugu had been showering her with ever since yesterday. It was becoming too much for her to handle, but she had to admit that these feelings weren't all that bad. She came to enjoy his warm and serene presence, and she liked the feel of his hand over hers during those few seconds.

 _Ugh, if Manaka ever figures out that I'm thinking like this, she'll for sure never let me hear the end of it._

* * *

Tsumugu studied over his research books once more, trying to reabsorb as much information that he could gather from them. Even though his professor told him to relax, he couldn't help it. Tsumugu wanted to learn more about the sea, at least as much as his books could provide him, and come to understand the secrets it held.

He peered up from his book when he saw Chisaki emerge from the kitchen, her face concentrated as she tried to balance the two platters in her hands. Secretly, he contemplated, he wanted to learn more about Shioshishio, Chisaki's home.

Tsumugu had only been there once when he went to chase Chisaki after his indirect confession. He distinctly recalled that it was white, covered in saltflake snow, and how there was no one around. He was sure that it was more beautiful prior to the hibernation, and the streets were probably bustling with activity from both the citizens and sea inhabitants.

"Tsumugu, could you move your books somewhere else?"

Her voice brought him out of his monologue and he stared at her blankly before he comprehended her command.

"Yeah."

He stood up and gathered his pile of books and made his way over to a nearby table.

"Why are you rereading the books you left here? Don't you have new books to read," he heard her asked him.

"Mh. Yeah, I have new books but I left them at Akari-san's house."

"Huh? You left them..?"

Even without seeing her face, her tone gave him a clue that his statement confused her.

"Oh, I guess I never explained why I was at Akari-san's house. I ran into Hikari after I got off the bus, and walked him home. Him and Akari-san got into a fight, so I took a small nap in their living room until Akira woke me up. He told me that the others were here, and I thought that I should change my clothes because they were wrinkled from my nap. And the rest is self-explanatory. But, I didn't know that you were with them."

Tsumugu sat back down and thanked her for the meal. He glanced at her and saw her pupils grow big.

"So we left your things at Akari-san's house? Sorry, we'll go there as soon as we can to get it."

Tsumugu shook his head and replied, "It's okay. We can always get it whenever you're free. Don't you have your training today?"

"No…? Why do you think I have training?"

Tsumugu stopped eating and cocked his eyebrow. "You're wearing your uniform, so I only assumed."

She blinked a few times while he munched onto a piece of toast. Then, she jumped up and yelped.

"I'm going to go change!" She rushed out her sentence and left the room before he could even respond.

Tsumugu swallowed his chewed toast and muttered, "Did I say something wrong?"

Three minutes later, Chisaki appeared back into the room with a different outfit. She wore a green jacket with a yellow shirt, and denim shorts with black tights. Her hair was done like she usually did it, with some strands braided off to the side of her face. She huffed and sat down across from him.

It was quiet as the two finished up their breakfast. Tsumugu continued eating normally while Chisaki stumbled in between bites as she tried to contain the blush of her face.

"Thanks for the food, Chisaki. It was good." He simply said while he went to put away his dishes in the sink.

"Hey, to answer your previous question, I don't have training today, so as soon as you're ready, we can go to Akari-san's house."

Chisaki approached him on the side and placed her dishes on top of his.

"Ah, okay. Let me go change right now then." Before he had left his room this morning, he reminded himself to at least throw on a shirt to look decent. He had a loose white t-shirt on, not something he would consider wearing anywhere else but home.

"Uh, do you need help? You shouldn't be moving your body too much on your own." She interjected. He gave her a sideways glance, slightly surprise by her offer.

"Sure."

Tsumugu led her to his room, and went over to his closet. It held some of his old clothes that he wore when he was in middle school as well as some of Kaname's clothes, and in one corner of the closet was where his actual clothes were. He chose a simple gray polo shirt and black skinny jeans from the small selection he had.

"Here," he handed her his shirt and awaited her instructions. "I shouldn't be moving my arms too much, right?"

"Yeah. For at least a couple of days. Um, can you raise your arms up so I could take off your shirt?"

Tsumugu did just as she told him to do and raised his arms well above his head. It was like she had told him; it hurt a bit to move his arms around, but it was doable. Chisaki was a bit hesitant, Tsumugu noted, to take off his shirt. It was understandable, but there was also another reason.

"Err, could you maybe sit down? I don't think I'll be able to pull your shirt up when you're so…tall."

"You can't reach?"

"Obviously because you're taller than me! Geez, just sit down."

Tsumugu situated himself onto his bed and waited for Chisaki. She gave him a stink face before she carefully tugged at his shirt. It was a light pull, as if she was testing him in case he might lung at her. Tsumugu felt his breathing hitch at the realization of Chisaki's positioning.

He felt his eyebrow twitch as he averted his eyes to the side. She was leaning forward a bit, her shirt hanging a bit off her body, almost giving him full view to somewhere where he was sure he wasn't allowed to look yet. His face began to grow hot, and he thanked the Sea God when Chisaki lifted the shirt high enough to cover his face.

It didn't matter if he was usually not aggressive or perverted. He was still a man and she was a woman.

 _That's right. Chisaki has grown a lot since then, and so have I. She's not the same fourteen year old anymore._

She slid his polo shirt down with ease, and helped pulled it down until it fit him snugly.

"Thanks," he said.

"No problem…eh? Are you sick? Your face is kind of flushed…"

"It's nothing. I'm going to change into my pants now. You can wait downstairs."

He cut her thought off, hoping she wouldn't press more into the matter. Luckily, she listened to him and told him not to take long before she went out of his room. As soon as the door closed, he leaned back into his bed and rubbed his face in frustration.

 _That was too close. If Chisaki took any longer, I'm not sure how much more I can hold back._

Tsumugu stood up and changed at a relatively slow rate, his mind off in another land.

 _It's too soon to try anything. I need to wait._

His body was protesting against his thoughts, though. The hair on the back of his neck was standing up, his heartbeat was beating irregularly, and his breathing was irrational. In short, he had become just like how a frightened animal would be to the face of a predator. Or rather, to be more accurate, his behavior was like a cat waiting to pounce on its prey. His excitement came from anticipation.

He wanted something to happen at that moment, but he had to control his urges. He had waited five years for this, and he wasn't about to ruin it from him losing his cool.

He walked down the stairs and found Chisaki already near the entrance of their house.

"You took your time," she teased him. Tsumugu grabbed his shoes from the pile at the entrance and merely gave her a small nod in response.

Despite how confident he sounded when he told her that she had loved him, it still scared him to know that his carefully constructed calculations could have been wrong. He was beyond happy when she accepted his feelings right after the second Ofunehiki, when she went to find him and hugged him out of relief. He remembered what she had said.

 _"Thank God that you're here."_

She had said those exact same words last night when she woke up from her nightmare. Both of those moments made Tsumugu realize how he couldn't afford to screw up with Chisaki.

He glanced down to Chisaki and then to the sea. Most of the ice on the surface had melted away, however, there were still some leftover saltflake snow all around Oshiooshi. It was amazing how much had changed over the last couple of weeks.

"It's sure pretty now," Chisaki muttered. She was smiling fondly at the ocean, her eyes twinkling.

Tsumugu turned his gaze from the sea to her and replied, "Yeah, it is."

"Hey, hey. Since you're able to swim underwater, I'm going to take you to Shioshishio one day. It's beginning to look a lot like it used to now that mostly everyone is active again," she excitedly promised him. The tone in her voice was different than any he had heard before; it was upbeat and affectionate.

"You must love Shioshishio then."

"Of course, I mean, it's my home." She paused after that, as if she realized she had made a mistake.

"What's wrong?" He already knew. It was plain on her face. But he felt it was necessary to ask her.

"I mean, yeah, it's my home! But my home is also on the surface with you and Grandpa...Wait, where is Grandpa? I didn't see him at all yesterday or even today."

"Gramps went to the hospital yesterday for a checkup. He left a note that said he would be there for a little while. It was on the counter," Tsumugu cleared up.

She visibly relaxed, and seeing as though it was the perfect time, he added, "Going back to Shioshishio…have you ever thought about it before?"

"Going back...? Why, do you want me to?" Her voice became hurt and angry towards the end.

"No, of course not. It's just that you must be lonely being by yourself in that house. I thought you were thinking of going back down there."

"I'd be lying if I said I never thought about going back to living with Mom and Dad, but then I'd be leaving Grandpa all by himself and…you."

"Chisaki…" he breathed in the cold summer air. The air pained his lungs a little bit. The temperature was still chilly for it to be summer weather, but it wasn't as bad as it was a month ago. "Do you think that if I had…drowned at the first Ofunehiki, things would have been better off?"

"Why…" she stopped walking and stared at him, terrified.

"Why are you saying something like that?!"

Tsumugu hung his head down. He hadn't meant to phrase his question like that. He didn't want to be the one holding her back from returning to her true home. To her family and friends. But he didn't mean to make her upset.

"I don't want to be the anchor holding you down. I feel like I'm making you choose between your home in Shioshishio and the surface."

It was true. Ever since he had moved back to his university in the city, he thought about Chisaki and Shioshishio. He reminisced how she cried during the first couple of months after the failure of the first Ofunehiki. She was truly crushed that she was the only one forcefully separated from everyone. Now that she had the opportunity to return, she didn't. And Tsumugu knew that he was one of the reasons for it. He didn't want her to hold back because of him.

"Stop. Why are you making it sound so bad that I picked you over my home? So what if I chose to stay with you and Grandpa?" She yelled at him. "Don't say that you dying five years ago would have made me happier! Don't say that! You are my anchor, Tsumugu, but you're my anchor that keeps me in place!"

She came close to him and placed her hands onto his chest. His heart was fluttering at her touch. "If you had died in the first Ofunehiki, I would probably throw myself to the sea for the Sea God to take me."

He bristled at this. "Chisaki…!"

"I love you," she stated strongly. "When I woke up today and saw you lying there, alive and unharmed, I never felt so happy in my life. I love you." She began to weep.

"I love you so much, Tsumugu! You're such an idiot sometimes, but I still love you!"

Chisaki wrapped her arms around him, and buried her face into his shirt. Tsumugu was frozen. He had never vocally heard her say her love for him, and here she was, repeating the phrase over and over again.

I love you.

He swooped down and hugged her tightly, much to her surprise.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He simply said.

Chisaki balled her hands into fists and, like a dam, tears streamed down her face at a faster rate.

"You're such an idiot!" She cried as she hit him repeatedly.

"I know."

"Don't ever think of yourself as a burden."

"I know."

"…I love you."

He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I know."

The wind blew, bringing in cold air around the two. Tsumugu pulled her closer and sighed in content.

"Chisaki."

"…What?"

"Thank you for being here." He pulled away and wiped her tears from her face with his thumb. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Thank you for loving me." He gave her one of his rare smirks. He grabbed her left hand and pulled on it gently, and they resumed walking.

A few minutes later, Chisaki glanced up at him, pouting. "Hey…you…never said it back."

"Say what back?"

"You know what!" Her face was red from both the cold wind and embarrassment. He grasped her hand a bit tighter.

"Chisaki, I really really really really really like you."

"Ugh! You're such an idiot!"

* * *

"Hii-kun…Hii-kun!"

Hikari, unfazed, continued walking ahead of the rest of the group. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets, and his back was hunched a bit forward.

Manaka was about to scream out his name again when Miuna stopped her.

"Don't, Manaka. Leave him alone. He might eventually crack."

Manaka felt her spirit drain a bit as she fell into silence. Miuna sighed and looked over to Sayu and Kaname. Kaname was emotionless, almost rivaling Tsumugu, while Sayu seemed uncomfortable and fidgety. Miuna felt bad for her best friend; it was hard to see your crush so down in the dumps and especially since you know the reason for it too. Miuna felt a bit ironic thinking about that. She had long gotten over her huge crush on Hikari, but there were still some feelings left over. What's even worse was that they couldn't do anything about Hikari and Kaname. They hardly talked at all during class and been pretty distant to the three of them.

"Argh! I can't handle this anymore!" Sayu suddenly exploded, bringing everyone's attention to her besides Hikari's. "He's such a big sore loser! An octopus head! He needs to get his head out of his butt and face his problem!"

"Sayu, that's pretty harsh to say about Hikari," Kaname interrupted, a small nervous smile on his face.

"And you!" Kaname leaped slightly back as Sayu turned her attention to him and pointed an accusing finger. "You're nearly as bad as him! You're both too stubborn to do anything but mope about it! How are you going to face them the next time you see them?"

"Sayu!" Miuna grabbed a hold onto her shoulders and pulled her away from Kaname. They have all stopped walking, including Hikari, who was a few feet away. "That's enough! I think you've proven your point."

Sayu pushed Miuna's hands off of her and glared.

"Um, you guys…" Manaka meekly spoke up. She placed herself in between the two. "Can we please go back to normal?"

"Normal?" Kaname chuckled. Manaka flinched back.

"Kaname…?"

"Things will never go back to normal. We'll never be the same ever again." He spat out. He looked at Sayu and Miuna, and frowned. "We were suppose to be five years older than these guys, but now we're the same age. We were suppose to be nineteen already. Why then…" He casted his eyes down and pressed his teeth together.

"Why were we left left behind?"

Hikari exhaled in frustration.

"Kaname, there was nothing we can do about it. Manaka and I have accepted the fact that time passed without us, and I thought you did too. That's not the case though, right?" He walked up to Kaname and met his gaze.

"When are you going to accept the fact that Chisaki and Tsumugu are years beyond us now? That we're behind them?" Hikari taunted him. He was pissed off at Kaname's attitude.

Kaname balled his right hand and lunged at Hikari.

"You bastard!" Hikari sidestepped and pushed Kaname to the ground.

"Face it. Tsumugu was going to take Chisaki's heart even if we had stayed up on the surface."

"Shut up!" Kaname stumbled up on his feet and ran towards Hikari at full speed. He tackled him square in the stomach, and both boys tumbled off of the sidewalk to the streets below.

"Hii-kun!"

"Kaname!"

"Hikari!"

Hikari pushed Kaname off of him and rolled away. Snow was littered on and around the two boys, but they didn't seem to notice.

Hikari wiped snow from his nose and sneered. "God dammit! I'm mad that we were left behind! That so much had changed and left us, like Miuna, Akari, and Chisaki! So what, Kaname? I'm pissed off that Tsumugu had gotten taller and stronger, and Chisaki, our childhood friend, had grown up! But we have to accept these changes. Damn, I'm mad that I beat up Tsumugu and ran out because I was too embarrassed! How about you, Kaname? Look around you; you just said it yourself. Things. Will. Never. Be. The. Same. All we can do is go forward!"

Hikari grabbed a hold of Kaname's shirt and shoved him into the railing.

"You're such an asshole! Why do you feel the need to bottle up your feelings like that?"

Kaname took a fistful of Hikari's own shirt and brought his face close to his.

"I'm not like you, Hikari. Unlike you, I didn't get my happily ever after."

"Wha-"

Kaname smashed his head against Hikari's face, causing the latter to cry out and drop on the ground. He tenderly held his nose.

"Asshole! Broke my nose!" Hikari yelled.

"Five years I had lost time with her, but it's been a lifetime since I've been the outsider in our circle. How come Tsumugu shows up and somehow becomes a part of our group, just like that? I've been together with the three of you since I can remember and somehow, he's able to come and-"

Kaname stopped short and took a sharp intake of air.

"Go on, Kaname! What's stopping you," Hikari barked out. He could taste the blood dripping down his nose to his lips and staining his shirt, but he was too angry to even care. Someone passed by him, and walked up to Kaname. Hikari gasped.

"Eh? Tsumugu?"

Tsumugu didn't spare Hikari a glance as he looked at Kaname with stern eyes. Kaname glowered at him and shouted, "What do you want?"

Hikari watched in amazement as Tsumugu grabbed Kaname by his shirt and pinned him against the railing with only one hand.

"I already told Hikari this once, but my strength and height is five years beyond you two." Tsumugu stated.

Hikari burst out laughing at Tsumugu's statement, and he was clutching his sides as his laugh echoed.

"You never change, Tsumugu. You always gotta say something really witty."

"I don't know. I just felt like saying it seeing how you two were fighting so poorly."

"Hey…" Hikari glared at him, but smirked soon after.

"We got you pretty good yesterday, though. You're so perverted, Tsumugu! Violating a girl like that. I never knew that side of you. Maybe your hormones are even more wild now that you're five years older!"

The tips of Tsumugu's ears burned up. "Hikari…" he warned him.

"Hahaha! I'm just kidding."

"Hikari!"

"Chisaki! Hm, I should have known you'd come. You and Tsumugu are glued to the hip...is that how is goes?" He shrugged and grinned at her. She came to a stop next to him.

"What kind of reaction is that?" Chisaki asked him. She looked at Tsumugu and saw Kaname.

"Tsumugu! Kaname! Let go of him, Tsumugu," she commanded him. Tsumugu shook his head and replied, "He may try to run away again, Chisaki. There are some things we apparently need to discuss." He lowered his voice. "All of us."

Hikari cringed. Tsumugu must have heard their conversation.

"He won't, Tsumugu! Stop holding him like that. Kaname?"

Kaname visibly flinched when she called his name, and Chisaki's eyes fell at the sight of it.

"You won't run away, will you?"

He begrudgingly nodded, and slapped Tsumugu's grip off of him. He glared at Tsumugu, his eyes burning.

"Remember what I said back when Chisaki got drunk?" Tsumugu's eyes widened a bit. He nodded, unsure of where this was going.

Kaname furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"I should have followed up with my thought. I should have done it.

Chisaki and Hikari exchanged looks, clearly not following what the two were talking about. Tsumugu, however, knew perfectly well what he was referring to.

 _"If I just overlook it, you'll disappear. And then I'll be able to be with Chisaki. Don't save him. Abandon him."_

Kaname's words rang in Tsumugu's ears, and he felt his stomach turn.

"No."

"No?" Kaname repeated after Tsumugu.

"If you had truly followed up with your thought…" Tsumugu turned around and looked at Chisaki. Hikari was staring at him, trying to comprehend what was going on, while Chisaki had a somber gleam in her eye.

 _"If you had died in the first Ofunehiki, I would probably throw myself to the sea for the Sea God to take me."_

Tsumugu's heart crashed against his chest uncomfortably.

"I would always find a way to find Chisaki." Tsumugu glanced at the sea and continued. "Nothing would stop me. Not you, the sea, distance…nothing. If you had left me behind, I would fight. Especially knowing what Chisaki would do if I failed."

As Kaname studied Tsumugu, from the determination in his eyes to the way his posture was firm and confident, he felt so inferior to him. Kaname was certain that he was serious. He felt sick at himself that he was able to trust Tsumugu's words so easily.

"You promise to never make her cry?" His mouth moved by itself.

Tsumugu nodded his head. "I would never allow her to experience that kind of pain ever again."

Kaname bit his lip.

"Dammit…" Tears streamed down his face. Realization hit him all at once. He was boy while Tsumugu was a man. Tsumugu was capable of taking care of Chisaki. He was capable of keeping his promises.

"Kaname…" Tsumugu reached out towards him, but Kaname slapped his hand to the side.

"If you ever make her sad or feel bad, I will cause you so much pain that you would wish the Sea God had taken your life!"

"Kaname!" Chisaki exclaimed out disapprovingly. Tsumugu quietly nodded his head and replied, "If I were to ever make her cry, then I want you to do much worse to me."

Hikari whistled offhandedly. "Tsumugu is seriously in love with you, Chisaki!"

"What's up with everyone teasing me these past few days," Chisaki groaned.

Kaname crossed his arms and inhaled deeply. "Just so you know, I'm sorry for hurting you yesterday. Even I have to admit that it was horrible for me to do that to you."

Tsumugu shook his head and gave him a dismissive hand.

"It's fine. Don't even sweat about it. Besides…" He came close to Kaname and whispered into his ear, "I've got to spend some time with Chisaki afterwards. In her nurse outfit."

Kaname's face lit up like a lantern. Tsumugu stepped back and watched as Kaname blabbered out, "What are you, an old perverted man?" Kaname face fell as he shuddered. "Why did I just think of Uroko-sama?"

"Kaname. I think you need to realize that there are more people here that love you. Love comes in many forms. And I think one of them is coming right now." Tsumugu pointed with the side of his head towards Chisaki and Hikari. Behind them, Miuna, Sayu, and Manaka were off in the distance, running.

"Hii-kun!" Manaka was the first to arrive, and she gasped when she saw Hikari. "Hii-kun, what did you do? And Chii-chan and Tsumugu-kun are here too?"

Miuna and Sayu passed by Hikari, ignoring his protest (he was mad they seemed unconcerned about him, lol), and slowed down next to Kaname and Tsumugu. Miuna was panting hard, her hands against her knees as she doubled over and fought hard to catch her breath.

Sayu, although a bit red in the face from running, was about ready to blow. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid! How could you say that? Did you already forget what I said the day before the second Ofunehiki?"

Kaname opened his mouth, but she interrupted him. "You promised to give me a chance! I promised myself that I would fill in the hole that Chisaki-san left behind! Have I failed?"

"Sayu-chan…" Kaname trailed off, clearly moved by her words. "Of course you haven't. I'm sorry for going off like that. Seeing Tsumugu again just reminded me of the past. Uh, I'm not blaming him or anything though!"

Seeing as his work is done, Tsumugu discreetly walked away from the three and went over to the other group. "Hikari, how are you?"

"Besides the fact that I'm bleeding out and hurting like hell, I'm fine now. Damn, Kaname's skull is as thick as your ego."

"Excuse me? You make it sound like my ego is as bad as yours."

"Watch it, _Kihara-kun_ ," Hikari said _way_ too sweetly for Tsumugu's comfort.

"You boys and fighting! I bet once I become a nurse, you guys are going to be my number one patients," Chisaki grumbled.

Manaka giggled and beamed at Chisaki. "Everything is fine now that Chii-chan is here!"

The atmosphere around the seven of them was warm and bright, almost like it was five years ago in the spring when the five of them went to middle school. However, as Tsumugu pried himself away from his conversation with Hikari and observed as saltflake snow began to rain gently down, he couldn't help but ponder if it was possible to return to such a time.

 _"Things will never go back to normal. We'll never be the same ever again."_

Unexpectedly, Kaname words popped into Tsumugu's head.

"Tsumugu-kun?" Manaka noticed that he had disengaged with the rest of them.

Tsumugu gazed over to Manaka, her eyes fixated on him, curious. A familiar scratching noise grazed past his ear, and he tensed up.

He looked over at all of them once more. Hikari was laughing and making his nose drip more, Chisaki began to scold him like a mother would, Miuna was telling Sayu to calm down, Kaname was smiling, _genuinely smiling_ , at Sayu, and Sayu was blushing and started to yell in both frustration and embarrassment.

Their group had a good atmosphere with and around each other…but then why…

Tsumugu rubbed his hands together and exhaled.

"The feelings…still linger."

* * *

 **A/N: And the plot thickens! Sorry for making Kaname sort of the bad guy in this chapter. I honestly like him and I wasn't trying to bash on him or anything, but he'll be a part of the major plot development! I tried to include the others in there, like Miuna, Sayu, and Manaka, but I didn't do such a good job on that. Whoops! Haha, next chapter we will include them and their little side plot. We got some nice Chisaki and Tsumugu fluff there and here, and more to come as well! Thanks for all of you guys who viewed this story and please consider reviewing! It helps a lot! Until next time!**

 **On the next part: Everyone is at Akari's house, together, but at the same time not together. Manaka, Miuna, Sayu, and Chisaki talk together and catch up, as well as share some secrets, while Hikari and Kaname go off in their own little group. Meanwhile, Tsumugu is somewhere, away from the group, but why?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: More plot development in this chapter than fluff, sorry! But that will come later ;). Thank you for viewing and reading this fanfiction! I really appreciate it! Not really much else to say…so onto the story! Btw, I'm trying my hardest to make my grammar smoother for all of ya'll, so please bear with it! Be prepared for lots of dialogue.**

* * *

"The feelings…still linger."

Tsumugu ran his hand through his shaggy hair and exhaled deeply.

"Why?" he murmured. "Something's not right."

"Tsumugu-kun!"

He snapped his head towards Manaka, surprise by her suddenly yelling out his name. She pouted and placed her hands on her hips.

"What are you mumbling about? 'The feelings still linger.' What the heck does that mean?" she tilted her head and placed her pointer finger on her lower lip as she tried to contemplate on his words.

"Nothing. It's nothing…sorry."

"B-but-"

"Hikari!"

Manaka and Tsumugu diverted their attention from each other, their eyes wandering to the owner of the voice. Chisaki was kneeling on the ground, holding a very pale Hikari by his shoulders. His face was pinched in agony, his nose still dripping with blood.

"Ah…let me see if I have something to stop the flow…" Chisaki reached into her back pocket and rummaged through it until she pulled out a pink handkerchief. "There…here we go." She rolled it up and gently stuffed it into his nose. He immediately pulled away from her, his eyes glazed with anger and pain.

"Ow! That hurts, that hurts!" Hikari stood up abruptly.

"Hikari!"

Chisaki reached out towards him, but he pushed her outstretched hand away from him and barked, "Stay away!"

As he backed away, he stumbled like a drunken man until Tsumugu caught him. Hikari collapsed into his arms willingly.

"Hey, Hikari. Calm down. Hey, can you hear me?" Tsumugu shook him by his shoulders, but the only response he got was Hikari's head rolling around, limp. "This isn't good. Chisaki, he passed out. Probably from the excitement and how much blood he lost."

By now, everyone was gathered around Tsumugu and Hikari. Chisaki stepped forward and examined Hikari carefully.

"Yeah. We need to head over to Akari-san's house right away, everyone. Hikari needs proper treatment as soon as possible." Chisaki glanced over to Tsumugu. "Tsumugu, could you-"

"Already one step ahead."

He lifted Hikari onto his back with ease, positioning him so that his head was against his right shoulder.

"Let's hurry. I don't want to have a huge blood stain on my shirt."

He ignored the sour look Chisaki gave him and began to walk.

"Hey! That's not funny right now. Tsumugu…!"

She walked right next to him and lightly smacked him on his right cheek with her knuckles.

"Ow…"

"That's what you get for ignoring me!"

Manaka and the rest fell shortly behind the two. Manaka quietly admired them, her heart light as she thought, _"Wow! They're so cute together! Chii-chan is so lucky to have someone like him! You go, Chii-chan!"_

Her gaze fell onto Hikari, and her mood instantly sank.

"Hii-kun…"

Manaka didn't notice as one pair of silver eyes with a hint of light blue watched her.

 _I'm so envious of Manaka…I wish that I could worry over Hikari like that…_

* * *

"B…but Chii-chan!"

"No, Manaka! I've already told you over and over again that Hikari needs to be left alone for now! He's still very weak."

"Chii-chan is a meanie!"

Crocodile tears fell from Manaka's eyes as she cried. Chisaki's eyes widened with panic.

"Ey? Manaka! You don't have to cry over it! Come on!"

"B-but you're not allowing me to visit Hii-kun! That's not fair."

"Now, now, Manaka. Listen to Chisaki. She is the nurse here." Kaname smiled and placed his hand onto Manaka's shoulder. "At least we know that he isn't going to die or anything like that."

"Kaname!" Chisaki tried to stop him, but it was too late. Fresh tears began to form in Manaka's eyes.

"I…I don't want Hii-kun to die!" she wailed out even louder than before.

"Huh? Of course he won't! I was just saying-"

Tsumugu slammed his cup onto the living room table, effectively silencing the whole room.

 _Ah…I made Tsumugu-kun mad now! I've never seen him mad before. I bet he's really scary._

Manaka felt the urge to cry some more, but she held it in as Tsumugu opened his mouth.

"I…"

Miuna swallowed the spit that had formed in her mouth. Sayu held onto Miuna's arms, ready to run if she had to. Kaname furrowed his brow and wiped some sweat that was forming on the palm of his hand.

"…need to change clothes. I'm going to go home real quick. Excuse me."

Tsumugu bowed his head and walked out of the room. Everything was quiet for a few moments until Chisaki lost it.

"Hey! What the heck was that? Ugh, Kaname. Could you walk with him to the house?"

"Eh? Why?"

"Well, for one, you guys could rekindle your friendship again and I need you to help him change out of his shirt."

"But-"

"No buts! Just please do it." She pushed him out of the room, and shooed him away. "Go!"

Kaname groaned, but decided that it was best to just follow her orders.

"Yes, ma'am."

He sighed and started to jog towards the front door.

"The things I do for my friends," he mumbled, but he then smiled. "Oh well. No use in trying to complain now. Time to catch up with Tsumugu-kun!"

As he was about to turn the knob, he noticed something odd.

"What?"

He crouched down near a pair of dark blue vans. Kaname picked one of them up and studied it.

"…Yup, I knew it. This is Tsumugu's! But why are they here if he left?"

"Oi…who's there?"

Kaname dropped the shoe and turned his head around.

"Hikari…?"

He stood quiet for a second until he realized that it was indeed Hikari.

"Hikari!"

Kaname shot up onto his feet and happily exclaimed, "You're okay!"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time, man. What are you doing?"

Hikari rubbed the side of his head and tried to walk towards him, but he tripped over his own feet and nearly plummeted on the ground. Kaname dashed over and grabbed onto his arms and hoisted him up.

"I think I should be saying that to you, Hikari. Come on, you still need to rest."

Kaname wrapped his arm around Hikari's waist and helped him walk back to his room.

"Stop treating me like I broke my leg or something. I'm fine."

"No good, Hikari. You still need to rest."

"Having one Chisaki is good enough. Now you're becoming as annoying as her when she frets over simple things like this."

Kaname lowered Hikari onto his futon and laughed.

"At least it's better than having another Manaka! That girl. She has enough tears to make another Shioshi!"

"Manaka…" Hikari grew silent. His eyes wavered a bit until Kaname spoke up again.

"Don't worry. She was just worried about you, like everyone else."

Kaname situated himself down in front of Hikari and offered him a reassuring smile. Hikari halfheartedly smiled back.

"There you go again. I don't know if you're truly okay or not."

"Turning the tables to me now?"

"No. Well, yeah. Are you okay?"

"Again. I'm suppose to be asking _you_ that. Why do you ask?"

Hikari scrunched his face in disbelief.

"Don't pretend that spat between you and Tsumugu never happened. Look. My nose being broken is proof that it happened."

He pointed at his nose, which had a huge white bandage covering it to the point where only his nostrils were visible. Kaname lowered his gaze.

"I see. You're sharper than you look, Hikari."

"Eh, it's not really something that's hard to miss. I'm being serious here. Are you okay? I don't want a repeat of what happened today." Hikari scratched his cheek and added, "They're our friends, you know. Tsumugu and Chisaki."

"You don't need to be telling me these things. I know already."

"Saying it is different from doing it. If someone saw us today or even yesterday, they would think that we hate Tsumugu, especially you."

"I don't hate him…I just..."

Hikari leaned forward.

"You just…?"

"I'm jealous," Kaname breathed out. He tightened his hands together in his lap. "I was being serious about what I said earlier. I'm not like you, Hikari. You got your happy ending. All of us from Shioshishio did…besides me."

"Huh? Not this again. How many times does this come up…Manaka and I haven't done anything yet! We haven't even discussed what we are yet! I swear, why is everyone interested in our relationship?"

"But still! There is something going on! At least you got that. Nothing will go on with me and Chisaki," Kaname retorted. Hikari became speechless.

"…I won't mess with them anymore. I got no right to. I have to look at Sayu-chan now. I have to stop it." Kaname slouched forward and whispered harshly, "But I'm selfish…! I have Sayu-chan, but a part of me wants Chisaki. I'm so bitter about it!"

Kaname pounded the floor repeatedly with all his might, and all Hikari could do was stay quiet for his friend.

 _And so, the reliable and steady Kaname has finally cracked._

Hikari reached his hand out and placed it onto Kaname's shuddering back.

"I'm happy for you, Kaname. I'm so happy that you were finally able to speak your damn mind!"

Kaname lifted his head up and wiped his tears from his eyes.

"Huh?"

"You've always been in the sidelines, quietly observing all of us. Whenever we fought, you were the mediator to solve everything. The last time that you ever spoke your mind was when you asked me who I liked. By the way, that was a dick move."

"S-sorry."

"Kaname! What Tsumugu has is something that you can never have…"

Hikari smirked and cheekily waved his pointer finger when Kaname's face crumpled up in bemusement.

"…yet! Get your head out of the cloud! I'm not talking about Chisaki, the obvious answer. Tsumugu has a 'grown up' relationship. He's nineteen, practically an adult now. We're fourteen. We still got time to find love and ourselves. It's fine to be bitter and selfish about it now. I know for a fact that later on, you'll be fine!"

"It's okay to be bitter and selfish?" Kaname parroted Hikari, albeit slower.

"Who said it wasn't? We're still reckless and young! I'm not saying that we can beat up and mess with their relationship anymore, but I think it's okay for you to mope over Chisaki, for as long as you need to. You still have a year, two years, three years, hell, five years if you need it, to find love, in Sayu or someone else."

Hikari chuckled and bashfully muttered, "Honestly, I'm jealous of their relationship too. Adults are amazing. Who knew that Chisaki would be the first to change and find romance?"

"Hikari…you're surprisingly good at giving advice."

"S-so what?"

"No, it's really assuring to know that. Thank you, Hikari, for making me feel better."

"Tsk, just next time let's handle things without violence."

Kaname raised his eyebrow.

"That's weird hearing that from you, Hikari."

Hikari flushed up and shook his head.

"Whatever! Look, to sum things up, I really feel like you're pressured by Sayu's expectations and your old feelings for Chisaki. Learn to relax. Your relationship with Sayu doesn't have to be like Tsumugu's and Chisaki's or even like Akari's because they're adults!"

"Alright, alright! I understand now. Now you're acting more like Chisaki."

"Shut up."

The two Shioshishio friends began to laugh, and the atmosphere in the room suddenly got a whole lot less tense. Kaname was the first to stop after his sides started to hurt.

"I think I'm fine now with Chisaki and Tsumugu. I can look at them without thinking about my old feelings. I can move forward now."

Hikari grinned and loudly replied, "Good to hear!"

"No, seriously, Hikari. How are things rolling with you and Manaka?"

"Geez! This is the million-dollar question! You and Tsumugu have a whole lot more in common than I originally thought." Hikari cursed Tsumugu and Kaname inwardly.

"Err…yeah, nothing has happened yet. It's just that I haven't found the right moment to really bring things up."

"This has got to be the first time that you've willingly held your tongue." Kaname placed his hand on his chin and pretended to be in deep thought, much to the disinterest of Hikari.

"Give me a break! I'm going to take my own advice and take my time! I don't need to rush anything, even if I want to…have a relationship right now. Ugh, you're confusing me, Kaname!"

Hikari flopped down onto his futon and groaned. Kaname peered down on Hikari's face from above.

"Just ask Manaka about it tomorrow. You know how Manaka gets. It's better to ask her now than later because she'll become overwhelmed again."

"Yeah, yeah, Mama Chisaki." Hikari grabbed his pillow and placed it into a chokehold.

"Oh yeah. Were you going to go somewhere earlier? If you were, I'm a bit hungry. I kind of want a hot pot, so maybe you could go get some ingredients for me."

"Earlier…" Kaname searched his memory to find what Hikari was talking about, and that was when it hit him.

"That's right! Chisaki wanted me to go with Tsumugu back to his house to help him change his shirt after you bled out on it!"

Hikari breathed out a laugh.

"Ah, I really stained Tsumugu's shirt? That's really embarrassing, thinking that I was carried by Tsumugu like a small child."

"No, that's not it. He didn't leave. His shoes were still by the door. But he said he was going out…"

Hikari sat up and gave Kaname a thoughtful stare.

"Why would Tsumugu lie?"

Kaname shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, Hikari. Something is going on with Tsumugu, though."

* * *

"Hey, hey! Since it's just us girls, let's talk about what's going on!"

Manaka was practically bouncing off the walls, her eyes shining with energy.

"Eh? Like what, Manaka-san?"

Unlike her, Sayu preferred to just relax and watch some television.

"You don't want to? We can talk about Kaname and Tsumugu-kun! Right, Chii-chan?"

Her sparkling ocean eyes jumped from Sayu to Chisaki.

"H-huh? What's there to know about Tsumugu? There's not really much else you guys don't know about him."

Chisaki folded her arms across her chest. Manaka smirked. In reality, she really just wanted to know the details about Chisaki and Tsumugu. After all, it was protocol that she needed to know what was going on with her best friend.

Miuna, with her own dark desire to know something, decided to go along with Manaka.

"Yeah, let's talk about some stuff together. Come on, Sayu. Chisaki-san."

Chisaki sighed in defeat. She was no match against two curious fourteen year olds. Sayu simply nodded her head and joined everyone in a small circle.

"Okay! First, Chii-chan!"

Manaka grabbed onto Chisaki's right hand and held it in between her hands.

"I saw you and Tsumugu-kun being chubby together!"

Miuna and Sayu watched in amazement as Chisaki's face literally changed colors in a split second. Chisaki widened her eyes.

 _Did they see us when we were walking to Akari-san's house? They must have heard me say those embarrassing things to Tsumugu then!_

"I-I can explain! It was at the moment, okay? He was spouting out nonsense, like if he had died then I would be happier and I felt the need to tell him that…that I…"

Unable to find her voice, Manaka blinked a few times.

"Chii-chan?"

"Was it too soon for me to say it? I don't know. He brings out this side of me."

Miuna squirmed around, her body being unable to contain this overwhelming tension that was rising from the older woman.

"Um, Chisaki-san. Are you only able to be violent around him?" Miuna finally spoke out. She looked away from her and suddenly found the floor intriguing to watch. Chisaki felt as though she just heard a glass shatter.

"Huh? What are you guys referring to?"

Sayu looked from Manaka to Miuna and found that both of them were too nervous to reply.

Finding that the two of them were hoping that she would say something, Sayu replied, "Well, I think the three of us were talking about the time when you were playing around with Tsumugu when we were heading over here. Right, guys?"

Manaka bobbed her head up and down. "Yeah, yeah! But we could talk about what _you_ were going on about. Tsumugu said if he died you would be happier? No way!" Manaka cleared her throat.

"'Chisaki. If I had died, then you would be happier.' Something like that, right?" Manaka lowered her voice to match Tsumugu's, although horribly. Miuna and Sayu burst out laughing while Chisaki shook her head.

"N-no! It's not something that should be funny, you guys! He really said that if he had died…"

"U-uh. Manaka-san…" Sayu whispered over to Manaka. "I think we should stop. Chisaki-san looks like she's about to blow."

It was true. Chisaki's face was as bright as Manaka's hair now, and she was grasping Manaka's hand tighter than before.

"Chii-chan! That's starting to hurt now, hehe…" Manaka pried her hand away from Chisaki and tenderly massaged it.

"Sorry," Chisaki apologized. "Why are you so intrigued by our relationship anyways, Manaka? Shouldn't you be more worried about you and Hikari?"

Miuna perked up and agreed with Chisaki.

"Yeah, Manaka. I think the rest of us would like to hear about you and Hikari."

Sayu smirked and nudged Miuna on her ribcage.

"Don't you mean you're interested?"

Miuna shot Sayu a 'shut-up' glance before looking back to Manaka and Chisaki. Manaka waved her hands to Miuna and shook her head.

"There's not really much going on with me and Hii-kun! I mean, I don't really know what I want."

Chisaki raised her eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I've never been in that kind of relationship before. Akari-san was the only one that I knew that was in that kind of relationship. It scares me to think about Hii-kun in…that light." Manaka gazed over to Chisaki and added, "That's why I want to know! Chii-chan, you're my best friend! Please help me!"

"Manaka…" Chisaki sighed and cleared her throat.

"I used to be so scared of change too, Manaka. Believe me, it haunted me for five years to think about how our little group would change. But change isn't bad."

"But Chii-chan! Is it weird to…um…"

Seeing as Manaka was struggling with her words, Sayu interrupted.

"I think Manaka-san is trying to ask if it was strange seeing Tsumugu as not the guy you've been friends with for five years but as, well, you know."

Manaka, her mouth dry, only nodded in agreement. Chisaki smiled.

"Let me tell you something, Manaka. I bet Hikari is freaking out as much as you are right now about this, knowing him. But for one thing, I'm glad Tsumugu gave me the courage to confess to my own feelings. I don't think I've been happier in my whole life."

"Wow. Amazing, Tsumugu-kun. You totally blew Chii-chan away…" Manaka mumbled in awe.

"I believe that it's different for everyone. Tsumugu has that air around him. I don't really know how to explain it, but it wasn't hard for me to adjust."

"I think I know what you're trying to say, Chisaki-san," Miuna piped up. "Tsumugu-san does have this air around him that makes him seem reliable and sturdy."

"Ah, I know that too! The way Tsumugu-san acts and his personality practically screams 'boyfriend' material while Hikari…" Sayu trailed off and placed her hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing. "…he's an octopus head."

"Eh? Hii-kun may be like an octopus, but an octopus's ink makes for a good sauce in certain types of dishes!"

"Manaka…I don't think any of us get your analogy. Rather, I don't think your analogy makes any sense."

Chisaki giggled at her friend's antics. Miuna clenched her fists by her sides. She felt a burst of inspiration from Manaka's words, with the help of her own feelings, and stood up.

"Y-you're wrong, Chisaki-san! I think that…that it makes sense! Although Hikari may be reckless and foolish and a bit inconsiderate, I think that he's also selfless and really good at helping people! You and Sayu may like people like Tsumugu-san, but Hikari chose Manaka for a certain reason! She's the special dish to him!" Miuna turned over to Manaka and yelled breathlessly, "Right?"

"Yes!" Manaka shouted back without thinking. "Wait, I mean…yeah? Actually, I don't even get my own analogy, Miuna-chan."

Miuna widened her eyes and stammered, "Oh, really? Well, to me it made sense! I really believe that even if Hikari is rough around the edges, he would treat you nicely, Manaka!"

Sayu and Chisaki watched from the sidelines as Miuna pep talked Manaka, who willingly listened. Chisaki offhandedly let off a small laugh and sighed.

"It must be nice for you guys to talk so freely about love. It reminds me of back then."

Sayu bit the inside of her bottom lip and let out a small hum.

 _Miuna was going to ask Manaka-san about Hikari, but Chisaki-san already beat her to the punch. I knew it. Miuna and Kaname are the exact same. They're still hanging on, but both of them are trying their hardest to support._

"So cool…." Sayu muttered. She placed her cheek upon the palm of her hand and shut her eyes. Chisaki cocked her head to the side, not sure on how to interpret Sayu's sentence.

Akari entered the room a few minutes later, along with Hikari and Kaname. Both of the boys looked uncomfortable while Akari looked preoccupied.

"Hii-kun! Are you okay?" Manaka instantly questioned and interrogated him.

"M-Manaka! Tsk, of course I am, idiot! I won't go down that easily," he flicked her forehead and pushed past her. Manaka quickly recovered and began to pound onto Hikari's back in retaliation.

"Hii-kun is so mean!"

Akari placed her right hand to the side of her mouth and shouted over the noise, "Hey, hey! Everyone, quiet down." She scanned the whole room until she spotted Chisaki.

"Chisaki-chan! There you are. Do you know where Tsumugu-kun is?"

Akari brought her gaze down to her left hand, which secured a phone that none of them noticed before. Chisaki frowned and shook her head.

"He went out earlier. I thought Kaname went with him." Chisaki glanced over to him, her eyes full of doubt. Kaname brought his hands up to his face and nervously smiled.

"I promised you that I would have went with him if Tsumugu had gone out. I wouldn't chicken out like that." Kaname shot Hikari a look, as if he was saying 'help me!' Hikari pulled away from Manaka's grip on his arm and grumbled a few curse words before he found his voice.

"It's true. I found Kaname near the door, but it seemed as though Tsumugu didn't go out like he said he would." He cracked his knuckles and blew some air into Manaka's face. "Pretty weird, huh?"

Akari smacked her brother in the arm and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "You're not helping here! I have his mother on the phone right now, you dimwit! And she sounds pretty mad." Akari gazed over to Chisaki and shot her a worried look.

Chisaki nodded her head and lowered her eyes to the floor. "I know, Akari-san."

Tsumugu wasn't close to his parents due to Tsumugu's grandfather's different outlook on life. Although his parents were from the sea, they wanted to start a new life on the surface, away from their past. Tsumugu and his grandfather chose to stay by the sea, and Tsumugu was force to leave his parents. Even after five years, Chisaki had only gotten to see his mother once, and that was with Manaka when they were preparing for the first Ofunehiki. After that, neither Tsumugu nor his grandfather brought them up.

"Wait, she's trying to say something. Excuse me," Akari brought the phone to her ear and signaled for everyone to remain quiet. Only a few snippets of the conversation could be heard by the others, but when Akari's face turned to one of pure shock, Chisaki knew that Tsumugu's mother had said something of importance.

"I…I see. But I don't think-" Akari stopped short, her face falling. She lowered her hand to her side and covered her mouth.

"Akari! What is it? What's happening?" Hikari was the first to speak up. He tugged at her arm and egged her on. "Come on, tell us!"

"She- Tsumugu's mother is coming over right now. From the city."

"But why?" Manaka inquired. Akari's eyes focused onto one person.

 _Chisaki-chan._

She opened her mouth, but then thought against enclosing all the details to them.

"Tsumugu's mother is coming here to see Tsumugu…she wants to take him away from Oshiooshi. Away from all of us."

* * *

 **So. Much. Dialogue! I feel as though this whole chapter was literally all dialogue, whoops! Haha. I guess this chapter could be considered a little filler before the huge turnabout. I wanted to cover how Kaname and Miuna are dealing with their feelings after the second Ofunehiki and explore their development. I honestly feel like this chapter was a bit weak in caparison to the others, but I hope you enjoy it still! I'm a little late for this update, but I'll try to make the next one not as long to wait for! Till next time! Thanks for viewing and leaving reviews! I get inspired to do more to see that people are viewing my story!**

 **On the next part: Tsumugu has wandered off without knowing, everyone goes off to find him, and Tsumugu's mother is on her way over from the city after being out of Tsumugu's life for five years, but why? Meanwhile, saltflake snow continues to fall down on Oshiooshi.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh my gosh, I'm so late with this update! I'm super sorry, everyone! There were so many things that happened these past two weeks and it's been crazy! I had to babysit for two days STRAIGHT then I went on a small vacation to the beach with my family for two days, THEN my internet went out for two days so we can change our network, and finally I went to the beach with my friend (lol again) and the next day, my aunts and cousin came over to stay at my house -.- So many "two's" in that sentence lol but yes all of those things happened. Besides all of that, there was also the process of making this story. I had to literally redo it three times from the beginning because I didn't like how I started it. So, to make up for not updating for nearly two weeks, I give you the longest chapter up to date! Please enjoy, and thanks to you guys, this story surpassed over 300 views! That is amazing, and each day more and more people are reading this! Thank you for all the support! Please enjoy the long awaited chapter 4!**

* * *

" _Stay away from my son!"_

 _Tsumugu flinched as his mother grabbed onto his arm and pulled him away from his grandfather._

" _Mom, that hurts," Tsumugu mumbled, but his mother ignored him._

" _We're not coming back here anymore! I knew it was a mistake coming," Tsumugu's mother spat. Isamu stood quiet. He kept his gaze over to Tsumugu, his ocean blue eyes twinkling with sadness and regret. Tsumugu clenched his fists. He didn't want to say goodbye to his grandfather._

" _Mom, I don't want to leave Gramps," Tsumugu pleaded. His mother turned her head to him, her face twisted with anger and annoyance._

" _You don't get to choose! Look at what you've done to my son!" She whipped her hand back and knocked down a nearby vase. Tsumugu cowered back in fear. He was scared of his mother when she was angry._

" _You ruined him! This is why we've moved away from the sea! We don't want our son to get soiled by those traditions."_

 _She flipped her hair behind her back and grabbed onto Tsumugu's arm._

" _Let's go, Tsumugu. Say goodbye to your grandfather. We're not coming back."_

 _Tsumugu sulked next to his mother's side and quietly muttered, "Goodbye, Gramps."_

" _Tsumugu," Isamu's low, grumbly voice vibrated throughout the whole room. He reached his hand out to Tsumugu, but Tsumugu's mother placed herself in between him and Tsumugu._

" _Let's go, Tsumugu," she said more firmly. Isamu's hand fell by his side, defeated. Tsumugu's mother curtly nodded her head to Isamu, and led her son and herself out of the house._

" _I told your father it was a bad idea to bring you to your grandfather. When we get home, you better forget all the things your grandfather told you. They're all lies," his mother complained. "We better hurry to the station so we can catch the next train out of here."_

 _All Tsumugu could do was listen and obey. He didn't want to go. He didn't want to never see his grandfather again. But he didn't stand a chance against his strict mother. His father was even worse._

 _The only reason his father allowed Tsumugu to visit his grandfather was because Tsumugu's father felt it wasn't fair to not allow Isamu to see his grandson, not at least once. It was the first time Tsumugu has ever seen his grandfather, that summer. From the first day, the two of them instantly clicked. The sea intrigued Tsumugu, since it was the first time he has ever seen it, and his grandfather was more than willing to answer all of his questions about the vast sea. Isamu taught Tsumugu how to fish, Oshiooshi, and Shioshishio._

 _Tsumugu had asked Isamu the first week he was there why his father never talked about his birthplace, Shioshishio. Tsumugu remembered how his grandfather's eyes grew slightly cloudier and his voice became deeper. Isamu told Tsumugu that he simply didn't want to be associated with the sea anymore, that he wanted to have a new start._

 _Tsumugu stated afterwards that he didn't get it. He believed that the sea was beautiful. Isamu rubbed the top of Tsumugu's head affectionately and replied that he didn't get it either._

" _I mean, what's so great about this place? The city is much better. You can have more friends there and there's so many places to eat," Tsumugu's mother continued. Tsumugu buried his face into his navy blue jacket. He didn't like the city. He didn't like the people there. He liked the people that his grandfather had introduced him to, from the fishermen at the pier to the nice, old lady who gave him candy at the store. But he couldn't say anything. He had to be the good little boy that his mother had taught him to be. He had to be obedient._

" _Look, Tsumugu," his mother pointed towards the sea. "Tell me. What's so great about that? Look at how wild it is!"_

 _Tsumugu's eyes widened. Time seemed to slow down as he admired the sea. He was captivated by the swishing of the waves against the surface, how the usual bright blue color of the sea had turned to a murky grey, how his heart raced by some unknown anticipation. He stopped walking with his mother and stared at the sea._

" _Tsumugu? What are you doing? We need to hurry up or else we're going to miss the train!" His mother scolded him. She crossed her arms and tapped her right foot. "Come here right now."_

" _The sea…" Tsumugu said without breaking his gaze._

" _Huh?! Tsumugu-"_

 _Tsumugu spun his head to his mother and glared at her. She slightly recoiled back at how cold and hard his stormy eyes were._

" _I love the sea. I'm not coming with you. I'm staying with Gramps. I'm not saying goodbye to Gramps, mother. I'm saying goodbye to you."_

 _Tsumugu bowed his head to his mother, twirled around, and ran back to his grandfather's house. He ignored the shocked protests his mother yelled at him as he ran._

" _The sea…I want to be like the sea. I don't want to be controlled. I want to be like the sea and be free!"_

 _He ran and ran. Even when his lungs started to burn and he felt like he was about to pass out, he kept on running. The sound of the waves crashing against the surface was like music to his ears. It kept him motivated. It made him feel alive._

 _When he had arrived at his grandfather's little shack, Isamu was outside by the door, as if he was waiting for Tsumugu. Tsumugu stopped in front of Isamu, his fringe stuck to his forehead like glue. Isamu smirked and turned his back to Tsumugu._

" _Come in, boy. There is going to be a storm soon."_

 _A few hours later, the house phone rang. Tsumugu silently watched from his new room as his grandfather calmly picked up the phone, listened for two straight minutes, and then hung up._

" _Gramps, was that-"_

" _Yes, Tsumugu," came his grandfather's short reply. Tsumugu clutched the frame of the sliding door and quietly asked, "What did they say?"_

 _Isamu walked over to Tsumugu and placed his hand on the top of his head._

" _They won't be coming back. Hm, not even for their own son, they won't come back," Isamu pulled his hand away and smiled. "I'm glad to see that they didn't completely ruin your view on the sea."_

 _Tsumugu looked up at his grandfather and said, "Gramps, I want you to tell me more about the sea. I want to learn everything about it."_

 _The things Tsumugu remembered from that day was the pitter-pattering of the rain against the house, the smell of sea salt from the wind that blew some of the sea water over, and how that was the last time he ever saw his father, and the last time he ever had a full conversation with his mother._

* * *

The whole room was in complete silence for ten whole seconds until Hikari exploded.

"Excuse me?" Hikari said exasperatedly. "What's even going on anymore? I forgot that Tsumugu even _had_ parents!"

Akari placed the phone onto the table and rubbed her temples. "Please, Hikari. Can you calm down for at least two minutes?" Hikari pouted, but obliged to his sister's order.

"Thank you. Let me ask again. Do any of you know where Tsumugu-kun is at the moment?"

Kaname shifted on the balls of his feet and awkwardly said, "He said he was going back to his house." He quickly added, "Oh, but he probably didn't go. He left his shoes here." Akari shook her head and said, "Well, you never know. Maybe he was in such a rush that he forgot to put on his shoes."

"But Tsumugu-kun isn't like that! He isn't absent-minded! That's more like…um…who is like that?" Manaka scrunched her face and thought for a moment.

 _That's like you._ Everyone thought, but decided it was best not to say it out loud.

"A-anyways," Miuna spluttered out. "We should try to find Tsumugu-san before his mom comes. I don't think it'll be good if she comes and finds out that we can't find him." Akari let out a low hum and agreed.

"That's true. All right, everyone. Please go out and try to find Tsumugu-kun. Then we can sort out what's going to happen with his mother." Akari clapped her hands together and gave a thumbs up.

Hikari grinned and exclaimed, "Yosh! Then let's go." He dashed out of the room before anyone else could argue with him. Miuna and Sayu wordlessly followed suit, while Kaname and Chisaki remained behind.

"You two aren't going with the rest," Akari joked. Kaname smiled kindly and asked, "Akari-san. There's more to this than you're giving, right? Why Tsumugu's mother is coming."

Akari ceased smiling at the two. Kaname lowered his gaze.

"I knew it. What-"

"Kaname, stop." Chisaki gave him a stern stare, her voice sharper than a kitchen knife. "Just stop."

She brushed past him and allowed him to stand there, dumbfounded and shock. Akari scratched the back of her neck and placed a sympathetic hand on Kaname's shoulder.

"She doesn't want to hear it, Kaname-kun," Akari's voice grew quieter as she added, "She already has a strong idea what's going on. I'm sorry, Kaname. It's better that I didn't say it."

Chisaki marched onwards, not sparing a glance even when Kaname caught up with her and repeatedly apologized. She didn't even fully know why she was so pissed at Kaname. She had an inkling that Akari was hiding something, from her especially. Chisaki felt relieved when Kaname was the one who interrogated her first, but it was as though her heart spoke out for her. She didn't want to hear what the rest of the phone conversation was. Chisaki had a bad feeling about it.

"Kaname," she stopped at the front door and directly looked at him. Kaname straightened his back and squeaked.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. But please, don't mention that Akari-san was keeping the rest of the conversation a secret. The others will become distracted. There's a reason why Akari-san wanted to keep it a secret."

"But Chisaki! Don't you want to know what the rest of the conversation was about? Maybe you're wrong-"

"Oi, you two. You can have your mid-crisis spat another time. We've been waiting for nearly ten minutes for you slowpokes to get your butts out of here," Hikari swung the front door open and interrupted the two. Hikari frowned and snorted, "What's with the two of you? You both look like you're about to rip each other's head out."

Kaname was the first to break away from Chisaki's stare. "Nothing. Let's just go." He sat down and busied himself with his shoes.

"Man, you guys are acting like an old married couple. Hey, hey. Chisaki. I'm surprised you haven't freaked out yet," Hikari teased Chisaki as she easily slid her shoes on and walked outside with her head held high. "Come on, Chisaki. You were always the worrywart in our group, yet you're not really freaking out. What's up?"

Chisaki swatted Hikari away and replied, "Why should I worry? I'm more angry than worried. Why did Tsumugu lie about going back to the house? It doesn't add up."

Miuna, from a few feet away, picked up on the last few fragments of Chisaki's sentence and turned over to her. "Chisaki-san. I think you have a point. Why did Tsumugu-san lie? He left his shoes, which means it's unlikely that he went to town."

Manaka, bouncing up and down, energetically yipped, "Maybe Tsumugu-kun is doing something that secretive. Something he can't tell any of us!"

Sayu closed her eyes and sighed. "Where would he go that is secretive, doesn't involve moving far from this house, and something that Tsumugu would do?"

Manaka raised her hand high in the air. "Maybe he's playing hide and seek with Akira-kun!"

"That can't be. Akira is sleeping in his room. And that would be pretty weird seeing Tsumugu-san playing hide and seek, no offense," Miuna pointed out. Manaka deflated and silently mourned onto Chisaki's arm.

"It may be possible that he went to the sea," Kaname proposed as he closed the front door and jogged over to the group. Hikari gave him a skeptical look.

"The sea? Why would he go to the sea?" Hikari cracked his knuckles and groaned. "Why don't we just call the man instead of standing here and coming up with stupid ideas?"

Sayu pursed her lips together and snapped her fingers. "That may be the best thing octopus head has ever suggested. Chisaki-san, you have his number, right?"

Chisaki took out her phone from her pocket and waved it to everyone. It was a lime green flip phone that had a seashell phone strap.

"All right! Chisaki, go call him. Oh, and put him on speaker."

"Okay. Here I go," Chisaki flipped her phone and pressed a few buttons down on the keyboard. Everyone bunched up together and stared intensely at the phone.

"And…call."

Chisaki pushed down one final time and stretched her hand outwards until the phone was in the center of the group. The phone rang in intervals of two, and slowly, Chisaki's hand began to falter.

" _Why am I starting to freak out? I've been on the edge ever since the phone call from Tsumugu's mother,"_ Chisaki thought. Finally, the phone clicked.

Hikari quickly shouted, "Oh, Tsumu-"

" _The number you have dialed is unavailable at the moment. Leave a message at the-"_

Chisaki ended the call and flipped her phone shut, disheartened but at the same time slightly relieved.

"That's totally lame! I should have known that it wouldn't have worked, though." Hikari kicked a pile of saltflake snow that formed on the ground and grumbled a few more indescribable sentences.

"I guess now we have no choice but to start from scratch and try to find him. But it's going to be a wild goose chase," Sayu resigned.

Miuna clasped her hands together and said, "We don't have a lot of time left. It's only a two-hour train ride to get from the city to here. We need to hurry up t-"

Chisaki's phone suddenly began to vibrate in her hand, stopping everyone from what they were doing.

"Eh? It's Tsumugu!" Chisaki announced. Hikari rushed back to the group circle and hollered, "Hurry up and answer it already!"

"I already know. Hm," Chisaki complained. She slowly flipped it open and pressed the speaker button.

"H-hello, Tsumugu?" She answered.

" _Chisaki,"_ his cool voice responded on the other side.

"W-where the he-"

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU JACKASS!" Hikari howled as loud as he could into the phone.

"Hikari!"

Chisaki pulled the phone to her ear and roared, "What the heck? What's wrong with you?"

Kaname hooked Hikari's arms and held him back.

"Now, now. Let's all just calm down now. Right, Hikari?" Kaname said soothingly. Hikari struggled against Kaname, but he ultimately gave up and resorted to grumbling. Chisaki gave him one last warning glare before placing the phone in the middle again.

"Tsumugu? Are you still there?"

It was silent for a few seconds. Chisaki was about to punch Hikari when the phone began to produce static.

"… _mh, yeah. Sorry, that was my friend…yeah, the one I mentioned earlier."_ There was more sound of movement, and then Tsumugu's voice came alive again.

" _Hello?"_

Chisaki nearly chucked the phone on the ground. It was really starting to tick her off that he was _so_ chill and then everyone else on the other side of the phone was about to explode. Hikari had already gone off.

"Tsumugu," she impatiently breathed out. "Where are you? Who are you with right now?"

" _Chisaki, why does it matter?"_

Miuna covered the phone with her hand and looked at Chisaki.

"Chisaki-san, he's dodging your questions," she whispered. "I think you need to be more direct with him."

"But why is he evading," Chisaki muttered back, but nonetheless shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Okay. Let me tell him."

Miuna nodded her head once and pulled her hand back.

"Tsumugu, I'm serious. Your mother is…at the house right now," Chisaki lied. Manaka and the others gasped.

"Chii-chan, why-"

" _My mom?"_

Tsumugu's voice turned from cool to ice in a matter of a second. Chisaki flinched at the cold bite of his voice.

"Why… Why won't you tell us where you're at?" Manaka spluttered out, her voice a little shaky.

" _Mukaido? Is everyone with-"_

"Shut up and just answer the goddamn question!" Kaname snarled. He threw Hikari over to the side and gripped the phone with both of his hands.

"Tsumugu, you better tell us where the hell you're at right now."

The phone line was silent for another few seconds until he spoke up.

" _I'm at the pier, near the place where you guys used to come from Shioshishio on the way to our old school."_

It was a response that Tsumugu would give in that situation. A short, to the point response.

Kaname released the phone from his hands and let off a small chuckle.

"What the heck? He was so resistant earlier and now he's willing to tell us? I can't keep up with him."

"How come you scold me when I scream at Tsumugu but then you don't with Kaname? That's not fair," Hikari complained. Chisaki slapped Hikari on the arm with her free hand and silenced him with a not-so-friendly glare. She returned her attention to her cell phone.

"Tsumugu, we're all coming over there. Stay where you're at," Chisaki explained. "What I said about your mom was, uh, a half lie. But she is going to come over soon, okay?"

" _Yeah. Okay. Bye."_

And the phone line went dead. Chisaki flicked her cellphone closed and placed it back into her back pocket. She inwardly sighed and glanced over to the rest.

"We know where he is now. Let's go," she ordered. Manaka, Sayu, and Miuna gathered by her side and began to walk with her. Kaname and Hikari both flashed each other a look before following shortly behind the girls.

"Tsumugu-kun doesn't really talk a whole lot during phone conversations, huh," Manaka noted. Chisaki giggled softly and replied, "He doesn't really like to commute through telephones. Tsumugu would rather talk face to face than over the phone."

"Tsumugu-san also doesn't like to talk too much about his mother, right? Not to pry into his private life, but it's just that, well…he never talks about his parents at all," Miuna mumbled. Manaka moved to the front of group and faced Chisaki.

"That's right. Tsumugu-kun doesn't really have a good relationship with his parents. This one time, Tsumugu-kun's mother came to visit him and he was all stiff! He barely said anything to her," Manaka informed Sayu and Miuna. She twirled on the heel of her right foot and launched herself at Chisaki.

"M-Manaka," Chisaki held up Manaka and forced everyone to stop walking.

Manaka beamed up at Chisaki and propelled off of her.

"What's going on up there," Kaname pestered as they caught up. Manaka grinned widely at Kaname and Hikari.

"I feel really happy, Kaname. Hii-kun."

Hikari blushed when Manaka fixated her stare at him. He moved his gaze upwards and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sometimes you say things out of context at times. Stupid Manaka."

He threw an arm around her and pushed both of them to continue walking.

"Hii-kun, wh-wh-wh-wh-"

"Shut up. We still need to pick up Tsumugu. Then deal with his mom. _Then_ you're allowed to be happy." Hikari threw a glance behind him and smirked at the rest. "Let's go! Come on."

He lowered his arm back to his side after everyone started to walk once again. The rest of the walk, no one talked. Each step Chisaki took, her heartbeat increased steadily. She felt something bad was coming ever since the phone call from Tsumugu's mother. From the bits and pieces of information Tsumugu and Isamu had accidentally slipped up, Tsumugu's parents were completely against anything related to the sea. The one who really hated the sea was Tsumugu's mother.

Isamu once stated to Chisaki when she was in her third year of high school, "This was the age when my son met Tsumugu's mother on the surface. It was also when my son began to despise the sea, and me. By the time he graduated, he already had plans of abandoning the sea with her." He then proceeded to light a cigarette and slowly take a drag of it with a steady, solemn look on his face.

If Tsumugu's mother hated the sea, then she must hate the people from it. Or so that was what Chisaki came up with after thinking about it for some time. From the few instances that Isamu had ever mentioned them, they were all bitter and negative comments.

Chisaki felt nervous about Tsumugu's mother coming to Oshiooshi. What if his mom didn't like her? It made sense if she didn't like her. She was from the sea, the very place she hated. Also, she wanted to take Tsumugu away. Chisaki couldn't help but feel that it had to do something with her. Not entirely her, but she was sure that his mother had at least some knowledge of her son being friends with mostly seapeople and him majoring in oceanology.

"Chisaki-san, we're almost there," Miuna broke Chisaki from her thought.

 _Wow, that was fast! I guess after we get Tsumugu, we have to deal with his mom. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to that._

Chisaki made her way to the front of the group, right next to Hikari and Kaname.

"And now for the moment of truth! Let's see what Tsumugu's been doing for the last hour and a half that he's been alone," Hikari lowered his voice and pretended to be an announcer. Everyone rolled their eyes and ignored Hikari as they continued to walk closer and closer to the pier. Finally, they reached the far end of the concrete pier.

"This sure brings back memories of the past. I remembered when Tsumugu caught Manaka in his fishing net," Kaname reminisced.

Slightly far in the distance, Tsumugu's silhouette was visible under the bright shining sun.

"Oi! Tsumugu," Hikari called out. He waved his hands as well, but the figure in the distance remained still. "He can't hear? Maybe we should just surprise him. He's probably researching the sea again or something."

The six of them sauntered over to Tsumugu, no one speeding up or slowing down the pace. When they were close enough to see Tsumugu's back, Chisaki suddenly extended her arm out to stop everyone else.

"Chisaki-san," Sayu started but stopped when Tsumugu started to talk.

"Hey, listen. I need to tell you something." Tsumugu walked forward two steps before he stopped. Miuna, standing at the farthest right, gasped and tugged at Hikari's sleeve.

"W-what?"

"There's a girl with Tsumugu-kun! She's near the end of the dock," Miuna whispered.

"Eh? Huh? Whaaattt?" Hikari stuttered. Manaka, right next to Chisaki, peered over to the right side of Tsumugu and nodded her head.

"She looks like our age. She's…pretty."

Chisaki pushed past Hikari and Kaname and made her way towards Tsumugu.

"Chisaki, hey! Wait," Hikari grabbed onto Chisaki's arm, but she twisted her arm out of his grip and continued walking.

"K-Kihara-san…"

Tsumugu's back tensed up, his shoulders leaned forward a bit.

"What is it?"

As Chisaki got closer, she could finally make out the girl's features. She had long, black hair that went down to her waist, like Manaka's hair, brown eyes, and indeed looked the same age as Miuna and the rest. Just as Chisaki was a few feet away from Tsumugu, the girl suddenly launched herself towards Tsumugu and wrapped her arms around his mid back.

"Chii-chan!"

Manaka ran up to Chisaki's side.

"Huh? Tsumugu-kun?"

Hikari stormed over, his eyes blazing with fire.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?"

Tsumugu whirled his head behind, and made eye contact with Chisaki.

"Chisaki," he glanced down to the girl, who still held tightly onto him. "I can explain."

Chisaki's breathing hitched. He didn't even try to deny what was going on. She had expected him to at least say something like "This isn't what it looks like" but he didn't.

And so, she ran.

"Chisaki!" Hikari threw himself in front of her, but she shoved past him and kept running towards the sea.

"Chii-chan! Wait!"

She ignored them all, and dove into the slightly freezing water. She welcomed the familiar scents and feel of the seawater against her skin, and she welcomed the anger and grief that began to pour out of her heart.

* * *

"Chisaki! Dammit," Tsumugu pried the girl's arms off of him and stared at the sea. The water rippled from where Chisaki had jumped into, and as he was about to go, Hikari stopped him.

"Hey! Wait, what's even going on anymore? Tsumugu, you better explain," Hikari hissed. By now, Sayu, Miuna, and Kaname had caught up with Manaka and Hikari, but they only witnessed what happened from afar.

"Hikari. I have to go after her. I'll explain later," he looked down to the girl and muttered, "No, she'll explain to you guys. I need to go after Chisaki."

"But wait! This is happening way too fast," Hikari pointed at the girl. "At least tell us who she is."

The girl cowered back and mumbled, "I-I'm sorry for causing trouble, Sakishima-san."

"How does this girl know my name? Do I know you from somewhere?"

Hikari studied the girl closer and shook his head. She didn't seem like someone he would know.

"Eh? Wait, aren't you Ao-san from our class," Sayu said. Miuna looked at the girl and shook Sayu's arm.

"Yeah. You're Mizaki Ao from our school, right? Why are you with Tsumugu-san?"

Mizaki directed her gaze to Tsumugu, and with a reassuring but restless nod from him, she replied, "Yes. I'm Mizaki Ao. I know Kihara-san because he helped me with something earlier. He helped me with a problem and I knew I could trust him because I've seen Kihara-san with you sometimes, Shiodome-san."

Tsumugu stepped forward and towered over Hikari.

"Let me go, Hikari. I need to make things right."

"You're not going anywhere, Tsumugu."

A new voice rose from behind Sayu, Miuna, and Kaname. A hand pushed Kaname out of the way and revealed the owner of the voice.

Tsumugu froze.

"M-mother?"

Tsumugu's mother wiped the hand she used to push Kaname against her black skirt and frowned in disgust.

"You are not going into the sea to chase after that…that _girl._ A sea person." She dangerously walked closer to him and shot Hikari a glare, to which he returned. "I've left you here for too long, Tsumugu. You're tainted. I knew I made a mistake giving up when I saw those two sea girls with you when you were fourteen."

"They're my friends-"

"I don't care!" Tsumugu's mother snapped. "You're coming back home with me to the city. I'm going to make sure you never see your friends again."

"Why are you such a bitch?" Hikari breathed out.

"Hikari," Kaname scolded. Tsumugu's mother laughed, something that Hikari and no one else expected.

"You see, Tsumugu? These are animals. You should go back living with the fishes. You smell like rotten salmon, you lot." Tsumugu's mother pinched her nose and shooed Hikari and the rest away.

"Leave them alone, mother! You think you can come here and run my life again? Stay away from me," Tsumugu threatened. "I need to go after my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend? Don't tell me your girlfriend is the one that jumped into the sea right now? Don't make me laugh, Tsumugu! I can't believe you would do that to me. How dare you!"

Tsumugu's mother closed the space between them and grabbed onto his shirt collar.

"They're a bad influence on you, Tsumugu! Look at yourself," she roughly grabbed onto his right wrist and brought his bandaged forearm to his face. "When I heard about this from your grandfather, I didn't believe it at first. Now that I've seen it, I know it has to do something with these seapeople!"

Tsumugu pushed her off of him and tore his arm away from her.

"Gramps told you?"

"Why don't you understand that I want to take you from this place because I have no idea what other dangers may happen when you're here. Five years ago, you almost drown during that stupid ritual you did with the people in Shioshishio. How many more near death experiences do you need until you understand?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything! You've been gone from my life ever since I was seven!"

Tsumugu gave his mom the dirtiest glare he could ever muster and hissed, "You and father never cared about me before, so why now? I'm not going to sit here and allow you to take me away from Chisaki and the others!"

Tsumugu shoved past her, gave Hikari and the others an apologetic look as he passed them, and dashed towards the spot where Chisaki jumped.

"Tsumugu! If you jump into the water, I swear on my grave that you will deeply regret it," his mother shouted in fury. Tsumugu took a sharp intake of air and propelled his body off of the concrete floor and into the slick water.

"Tsumugu!" Tsumugu's mother screeched after her son. "You! You stupid kids! You ruined my son!"

She pointed accusingly to Hikari with her right index finger. Hikari furrowed his brow and muttered, "I'm done trying to listen to this lady."

He grabbed onto her right wrist and pushed her off of the pier in one swift motion. She opened her mouth and was about to say something until she collided with the water.

"Hii-kun, you're going to get us all killed," Manaka exclaimed worriedly. Hikari waved her off and replied, "Well, I think we should get out of here before she resurfaces. Mizaki, let's go back to my place. You can tell us why you and Tsumugu were together and the 'problem' he helped you with."

Mizaki, baffled that Hikari was already using her first name, nodded her head soundlessly and allowed herself to be pulled by Miuna.

"Sorry, Ao-san, for dragging you into this mess," Miuna apologized. "Who knew that Tsumugu-san's mother would be here already."

Sayu, while running, said in between breaths, "Well…let's hope that…Tsumugu-san and…Chisaki-san make up! I feel bad…for Tsumugu-san…"

* * *

" _Stupid! Stupid Tsumugu!"_ Chisaki landed down on the Shioshishio Bridge and stomped her way into town.

"Chii-chan! What a surprise! Huh? What's the matter, sweetie," an old lady greeted Chisaki as soon as she entered. Chisaki forced a smile on her face and kindly replied, "Nothing. I just felt like visiting Shioshishio for a change of pace. Excuse me."

"Go ahead, darling. Make sure you go and visit Uroko-sama on the way. He'll be pleased to see you again."

The old lady bowed her head and walked away from Chisaki. Chisaki sighed and began to walk through the familiar streets of Shioshishio. She felt different at Shioshishio than at Oshiooshi, she had to admit. Then again, she thought, nothing really changed from back then because of the hibernation. The town was colorful and lively again, with kids running freely on the streets and men laughing and conversing with one another. As Chisaki passed by the tree Kaname, Hikari, Manaka, and herself used to meet up before they went to the surface, she saw a little girl sitting beneath it.

"Chii-chan," the girl happily cried out. She stood up and ran to Chisaki. "I haven't seen you since before the hibernation! Wow, you look so pretty grown up!"

Chisaki offered the little girl a somber smile and said, "It has been some time since I've seen you too."

To Chisaki, it still felt strange conversing with the seapeople after the hibernation. For some of them, like the old lady from earlier, they still treated her like they would five years ago.

The little girl was no different.

"Hey, hey! So are you dating Kaname-nee-chan now," the girl asked energetically.

"What? Why would you think that," Chisaki said a bit too quickly. Was Kaname _that_ obvious with how he felt about her that others knew?

The little girl cocked her head and replied, "Well, I always thought that you and Kaname-nee-chan would get together because Hikari-nee-chan loves Manaka-chan. The four of you are best friends, so I just assumed if Hikari-nee-chan and Manaka-chan dated, then you guys would too."

"I…that's…" Chisaki covered her mouth and stared at the little girl. Were kids always this perspective before?

"Then again, I think it would be weird now that you're older! Do you have someone you love right now, Chii-chan?"

Chisaki crouched down and buried her face in between her knees. When did little kids have the ability to ask such embarrassing questions?

"Huh? Chii-chan? Are you-"

"Oi! There you are!"

Chisaki uncovered her face from her knees and saw a young boy waving off in the distance. The little girl squealed in delight and bid Chisaki farewell.

"What the heck were you doing," the boy chided the girl. The girl laughed and pointed at Chisaki.

"I was catching up with Chii-chan! What do you want, Onee-chan?"

The boy grinned and loudly said, "Guess what? There's this outsider that just arrived in town. People are saying that he's from the surface!"

"Hm? Really? But that shouldn't be possible. Surface people can't come down here unless they have ena."

"Are you calling me a liar then? Come with me and see for yourself! It's some guy, the same age as that girl, I think," the boy pointed at Chisaki and dragged his sister away. Their conversation slowly grew distant until it was quiet again.

Chisaki sat there, under the tree, for a few minutes, trying to comprehend the boy's statement.

" _There's this outsider that just arrived in town!...Surface people can't come down here unless they have ena…It's some guy, the same age as that girl, I think."_

Chisaki abruptly stood up and sped walk to her house.

"He didn't. He did _not_ come here. Oh god," Chisaki murmured to herself. She pushed past a few people who were going the opposite direction from her house, their chattering drifting in the water.

"This is the first time I heard someone from the surface being able to come into town! I wonder who it is."

"It's probably one of the Shiodome kids. You know, Akari Sakishima's children."

"No! Someone said it's someone older."

Turning a corner, Chisaki faced the front door of her house and rang the doorbell repeatedly. After the tenth ring, the door swung open and revealed a flustered woman.

"Chisaki?" The woman gasped. Chisaki squeezed in between the door and entered her house. "Not even going to say hi to your mother, Chisaki?"

"Hi, Mom. I'm going to my room for a bit. Bye." Chisaki rushed upstairs, ignoring her mother as she yelled, "At least make sure to say hi to your father when he comes back home! Geez."

Reaching the second floor, Chisaki ran her fingers across the wall, feeling the familiar touch of the material. Her home didn't change one bit since five years ago, and it gave Chisaki a sense of remembrance and serenity. She reached the last door on the left at the end of the hall. Her room.

The door creaked as she opened it gently, as if she was afraid of accidentally breaking it. She closed the door behind her and flicked the light switch on her right.

"Oh wow. Nothing has changed at all."

Chisaki stepped forward and examined her room, noting how her bed sheet was still a little messy from five years ago when she was too excited to fix it during the day of the first Ofunehiki, her study desk right next to her bed and her school backpack that laid on top of it. She went over to her bed and plopped down on it, swatting the dust that arose from it.

"I'm such an idiot. I can't believe I ran away from him again because I got jealous," Chisaki sighed and fell back. "Geez, I overreact sometimes. Ugh, I just hope he doesn't come here, though I doubt he will. He doesn't know where I live in Shioshishio."

A few minutes later, Chisaki heard her mom call her from the floor below.

"Chisaki! Your father is home. Please come down and say hi. He hasn't seen you since last month."

Chisaki lazily shouted a response back and slowly got up from her bed. She nonchalantly opened her door and left it open, not really caring about anything anymore. As she climbed down the stairs, she saw the bottom half of her father off to the side.

"Welcome home, Dad. How are you today?"

Her left foot made it to the bottom step first, and as she was about to place her right foot down, her father moved off to the side and revealed an out of breath Tsumugu.

"C…Chisaki, I found someone on the way home. This, uh, is the young man from the surface, right? The one that is your…" Chisaki's father bashfully stumbled, unable to come up with the right words.

"…I'm her boyfriend. Kihara Tsumugu," Tsumugu finished, his eyes fixated on her shocked eyes.

Her father widened his eyes and dropped his suitcase.

"I was going to say classmate from middle school, but I…I suppose that would…"

"What's going on in here, dear? Did Chisaki come down from her room," Chisaki's mother emerged from the living room and took in the sight before her. "Oh, we have a guest? Who might you be? I never seen you around here before."

Tsumugu's eyes darted to Chisaki's mother before going back to Chisaki.

"Nice to meet you. I'm dating your daughter. My name is Kihara Tsumugu."

He bowed down respectfully to Chisaki's mother and father. Chisaki's mother placed her hand onto her mouth and glanced over to Chisaki.

"Chisaki, you never told me that you were- Wow, this is a surprise indeed! I didn't know that you and this boy were a thing," her mother blabbered on.

However, her mother's words fell deaf to Chisaki's ears. Tsumugu's eyes were locked onto her, like an eagle to a mouse. His dark and cloudy eyes were powerful and intimidating. She felt as though she was trapped in a cage.

"…Chisaki? Hello, Chisaki?" Her mother frowned at her daughter's lack of response and shook her husband's shoulder. "Hey, dear. Look at your daughter. She's being rude right now to the guest."

Chisaki's father, unfortunately, was as unresponsive as his own daughter.

"Um, I…Chisaki?" Her father looked at her for answers, clearly shaken up by the news still.

"I can't."

Tsumugu overwhelmed her. By his presence, by his eyes, by him. For the first time, she felt terrified by Tsumugu.

Chisaki, in a blind panic, picked up her shoe from her foot and threw it at Tsumugu, who easily blocked it with his arm.

"Chisaki…!" her mother exclaimed in astonishment. Chisaki whirled around and ran up the stairs, her mind focus on staying away from Tsumugu.

"Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry for my daughter's behavior right now, Kihara-kun," Chisaki's mother instantly apologized and bowed to Tsumugu. Tsumugu shook his head and replied, "No, it's my fault. I'm sorry for appearing so suddenly." Tsumugu lowered his gaze and mumbled, "This may sound wrong, but may I please go upstairs and talk to Chisaki? I really need to clear something up."

"Oh, no! It's no problem at all! Please, go and talk with her and knock some sense into her. She's always been a little bit awkward when it comes to these kinds of things," Chisaki's mother laughed it off. Tsumugu quickly muttered a thank you and rushed upstairs, leaving the two parents to comprehend what just happened.

"Wasn't it just a few days ago when Kaname-kun confessed to our daughter in this very spot?" Chisaki's father slowly said. Chisaki's mother chuckled and hugged her husband from behind.

"For us, it was. But now it's five years later and our little Chisaki grew up, at least in some aspects. She still has trouble accepting herself and others, though."

Tsumugu rubbed the arm he used to block Chisaki's shoe. He winced as pain shot up his arm.

" _I hope she didn't open up one of my wounds,"_ Tsumugu thought. He slowed down as he reached the top of the stairs and studied the house. It looked like a typical modern house, at least in Tsumugu's opinion. He opened the first door to his right and carefully peeked inside. He assumed it was their guest room, since it had simple decorations and a single bed, but nothing else. Tsumugu closed the door and continued searching for Chisaki. As he reached the end of the hallway, Tsumugu faintly heard the sound of weeping through the walls.

He approached the left door and placed his hand against it.

"Chisaki…" he called out. "Please let me in."

On the other side, Chisaki was pressed against the door, her face buried deep in her knees as her weeping converted to small whimpers and sniffling. She hated it when she cried in front of Tsumugu. It showed off the weak side of her.

"Chisaki," he said with more force in his voice. "Open the door."

"I don't want you to see me right now," she said back, her voice muffled. Tsumugu pressed his forehead on the door and exhaled.

"Chisaki, please. Let me see you."

His voice lost its usual husky and low tone. Instead, it was replaced with desperation and dejection, as if he was extremely tired. Chisaki shakily sucked in a breath and silently cried more into her knees.

She felt horrible, just by the sound of his voice. Not only that, but by his eyes. She didn't want to see them like they were earlier. His eyes mixed with pain, distress, and something else she couldn't put her finger on.

"That girl you saw. She was a classmate of Miuna's," Chisaki heard him say. "Chisaki, I'll explain everything, but it's better for you if we do it face to face."

Chisaki closed her eyes and wiped the tears from her face. He always knew how to face her, even when she didn't even know how to face herself. She pulled herself together and got up from the carpet floor. Hesitantly, she unlocked her door and held her breath. What was his face going to be like? Angry? Hurt?

The door swung open and revealed the exact opposite of what Chisaki expected. Tsumugu was calm and resigned, but his eyes were swimming with emotions.

"Tsumu-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "Please don't run away from me."

He moved his right hand towards her, but she flinched back. Tsumugu visibly tensed and retracted his hand back.

"The girl you saw was a girl named Mizaki Ao. She's in the same class as Miuna and Sayu," he started. Tsumugu closed the door and walked past Chisaki, making his way over to the window. "I was on my way putting on my shoes to go back to the house when I saw her. She was being assaulted by some boy."

Chisaki hugged herself and shivered. "She was being assaulted?"

Tsumugu nodded his head and continued. "Mh. When I saw that, I ran over there and scared off the boy. As soon as the boy ran, Ao was so shaken up that I couldn't leave her alone, in case that she may do something rash. I walked with her for a while afterwards, to calm down her nerves. Before I dropped her off to her house, she told me she wanted to go to the pier at sundown because she liked the way the sun reflected off the sea."

"So you're telling me that Ao-san…that she wasn't someone you liked or anything?"

Tsumugu turned his whole body around and locked his alarmed eyes with hers. His foot kicked over her wooden chair from her study desk, the furniture rattling loudly on the ground before settling.

"What?" he paced around the room, his eyes never leaving hers. "Do you not trust me, Chisaki?"

"Eh? No, that's not it," Chisaki blushed and played around with her hair. Tsumugu stopped at the edge of her bed and leaned against its frame, his arms crossed.

"Then what's the matter? I know you ran because you assumed wrong. But if it's not because you don't trust me, then what is it?"

Chisaki bit the bottom of her lip and watched as Tsumugu closed his eyes.

"Don't be afraid of me," he whispered unexpectedly. He pushed himself from the bed and stood a foot away from Chisaki. It was as though he was too close, but not a single part of him touched her. His eyes still stayed shut, his facial expression neutral.

"Why…are your eyes closed," Chisaki cautiously placed her hand onto his chest, her other hand against her throbbing heart. He closed his eyes tighter and exhaled unevenly.

"Because," he murmured, "you won't open up when I look at you. I'm terrified that one day, you'll leave me."

"Tsumugu…" Chisaki pulled her hand away and closed the space between the two. She wrapped her hand around Tsumugu, and nuzzled closer to his chest when he returned the hug.

"I won't be like your parents. I won't leave you. I get insecure sometimes, especially over this past month," Chisaki admitted.

"Insecure about what?"

Tsumugu rested his chin on top of her head and pulled her closer. Chisaki let off a low groan and mumbled into his shirt, embarrassed.

"I didn't catch that, Chisaki."

"Geez, I feel insecure by the fact that maybe I'm not good enough! Is that loud enough for you," Chisaki burrowed further into his chest, feeling annoyed as he began to chuckle.

"Are you being serious? _That's_ what you're worried about?"

"Don't make fun of me, you insensitive jerk! It's the truth," she argued. Tsumugu ceased laughing and instead listened to Chisaki's raw voice. "What…what do you like about me?"

Tsumugu opened his eyes and stared at the mirror by Chisaki's closet, at him and Chisaki, by their position, and by her shuddering back, as she wept some more.

"What I like about you," he started, "is that you're strong and kind. A bit reckless, but headstrong. You're unpredictable sometimes, and that makes me love you more. When we were younger, I thought you were foolish. How could you senselessly continue to love Hikari, who you knew loved Mukaido? But five years later, I learned that love makes you do some crazy things. For the second time in my life, I told my mom off."

Chisaki quickly pulled away from him and stared up at his face.

"You told your mom off?"

Tsumugu grinned sadly at her and said, "My parents hated the sea, especially my mom. Again, she wanted to take me away from it. From what I love." He wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb and muttered, "I love you, Chisaki."

He drew his face closer to hers, enough to where he could feel her breath against his nose.

"Tsumu…gu," Chisaki whimpered out, both in fear and an unknown feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Close your eyes," he ordered her softly. He caressed her face with his right hand and hooked his left arm around her waist, bringing her near his body. Chisaki situated both her hands against his shoulders.

"W-wait, I-I-"

 _What the hell?! This is happening too fast!_

"Chisaki."

He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers, his right hand threading over her cheek. Chisaki shut her mouth and shakily met his dark eyes with her light ones.

"Tsumugu," she shut her eyes and quietly sighed. She was scared, but knowing it was Tsumugu, she felt strangely at ease. She heard Tsumugu clear his throat and adjust his hand so it cupped her cheek better. Chisaki's heart quickened as she felt his lips graze over hers.

"Tell me to stop if you need me to," he said tenderly. Chisaki opened one eye and looked at him.

"Okay."

Like a tidal wave, Tsumugu crashed his lips against hers, and everything went dark for Chisaki. Her knees bucked, and she thanked the Sea God that Tsumugu had a firm hold onto her with his arm or else she would have fell. All she could focus on was his lips, which were warm and gentle. He didn't try to move or deepen the kiss; it was simple and timid. Tsumugu pulled away after five seconds, and for a second, Chisaki saw uncertainty in his eyes, as though he was frightened that she didn't like it.

"Don't stop," she mumbled shyly. She brought her hands around his neck and nibbled on his bottom lip, desire suddenly blooming in his eyes. All doubt washed from Tsumugu's system, and by the time Chisaki realized it, he had pushed her against a wall and started to kiss her deeply. Caught off guard, Chisaki squeaked out in surprise, but found excitement and attraction at Tsumugu's unexpected aggression. She pried her hands from his shoulders and tangled it into his hair in an attempt to contain the fire in her stomach. Tsumugu had longed removed his own hands from her body and instead opted to place them on both sides of Chisaki's head, practically entrapping her, but neither wanted to leave any time soon.

Tsumugu brushed his tongue against Chisaki's lips, in that shy manner of his, Chisaki thought in amusement. She allowed him access, and she took the chance to explore him. With not much astonishment, she tasted the faint sweetness of tangerine and mint, but she never expected the ecstasy she felt pulse throughout her body when she accidentally touched Tsumugu's tongue. She let out a small gasp and tugged Tsumugu's hair, her self-control diminishing.

The first to break the kiss was Tsumugu, much to the disappointment of Chisaki. He rested his forehead on Chisaki's and panted lightly.

"Chisaki," he groaned, " _this_ is what I mean when I said unpredictable."

Chisaki playfully pouted and said, "That's what you love about me, right?"

Tsumugu smiled. He took her left hand and kissed the back of it. Chisaki felt stunned when he bore his passionate and yearning eyes, the emotion Chisaki finally pinpointed that she couldn't figure out earlier, into her own.

"I promise you that I won't allow anything to break us apart, Chisaki. You're not something that my mom or anyone else can take away," he promised her.

"Is that an indirect marriage proposal to my daughter?"

Chisaki's mother smirked when Chisaki pushed Tsumugu away from her and bashfully tried to fix her hair and act like nothing had happened. Tsumugu simply straightened his shirt and coughed.

"Now, now. I just had a feeling that you two were doing more than 'talking.' I mean, for crying out loud, both of you guys are nineteen!" Chisaki's mother turned the light on in the room (it was dark the entire time, lol) and faked a glare at Tsumugu. "Kihara-kun, you certainty know how to please my daughter. I'm glad that you at least didn't do some…other things to make her happy."

"Mom!" Chisaki cried out, her face completely flushed. "Stop it!"

"What? I can say so much worse, considering the situation. I just wanted to check up on you and the first thing I see is you backed up on the wall, making out with the guy that is your supposed boyfriend that you, by the way, never told me about!"

Chisaki's mom tried her hardest to look angry, but ended up laughing. "Who am I kidding? I think I'm more embarrassed than mad," her mother admitted. Tsumugu bowed his head and said, "I apologize for doing something unacceptable in your house. I hope you don't think wrongly of me."

"Hm? You're fine, dear! Well, just don't do that again in my house, but I can see you're very serious with my daughter," Chisaki's mother nodded her head in approval. "Why don't you stay over for dinner tonight so we can know more about you, Kihara-kun?"

"As much as I liked to, Hiradaira-san, I can't today. I have some matters that I need to sort out up on the surface," Tsumugu declined. Chisaki's mother visibly deflated.

"Well, that's a disappointment. I hope that you'll come back here so we can really get to know you."

Tsumugu nodded his head and replied, "I would like that." He peered out the window and seeing how the seawater outside was beginning to glow a creamy orange, he deducted that it was already six. "I actually need to go right now. I don't trust her with the others," Tsumugu looked at Chisaki expectantly. Chisaki rolled her eyes, but knew that he needed her with him.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't stay over tonight, either. I'll bring Tsumugu with me the next time I come back to Shioshi."

After a few more minutes of endless goodbyes and farewells to Chisaki's mother and clueless father, Chisaki and Tsumugu finally left her house, with Chisaki in the lead. The streets were relatively empty besides for a few stray people and fishes that lingered. As they reached the outskirts of town and to the bridge leading into Shioshishio, Tsumugu stopped halfway.

"Chisaki, I have to tell you something," Tsumugu called out. Chisaki twirled around and frowned. "My mom isn't like your mom. She isn't accepting. That one time you saw her years ago with Mukaido is nothing how she is. She was friendly because we were in the city, in her territory."

"So you're basically telling me that your mom and I will never get along?"

Tsumugu regretfully nodded his head and spat, "Never in my life has she ever considered Gramps' or my opinion. She always told me that it was a mistake coming here. A mistake staying with Gramps and living by the sea. Never once had she ever selflessly visited me away from the city. It was always me going to her, not the other way around."

Chisaki stood quiet, amazed by Tsumugu opening his feelings. It wasn't like he kept everything to himself, but he was the type who didn't like to speak freely of his emotions. Then again, over these past few days, both of them went through an emotional rollercoaster, Chisaki thought.

"I know that things between you and your parents are shaky, but it doesn't mean they don't care about you," Chisaki walked to him and grabbed his right hand with her hands. "You say that your mother never visited you here at Oshiooshi, but here she is today, even if it's something negative. Your mother must have a good reason for being here."

"Her reason for being here is that the sea is a 'bad' impact on me," Tsumugu grumbled, but stopped when Chisaki stood on her tippy toes and pecked his lips.

"But you and I know that's not true. I'm not saying that everything your mom has to say is absolute, but try to listen to her. You can't make up lost time, but you can at least be on good terms with your parents. Take baby steps."

Tsumugu gripped her hand and softened his eyes.

"I'll try, but it won't be easy."

Chisaki giggled and replied, "I never said it would be easy."

* * *

"Aw crap, she's following us!"

Hikari tugged harder on Manaka's hand as he led her and the others throughout the outskirts of Oshiooshi.

"What are we going to do, Hii-kun," Manaka whimpered out. Kaname threw a look behind his shoulder and nearly tripped over his own shoes. Tsumugu's mother was hot on their tail, her short hair dripping with water and her makeup smudged and ruined. In short, she looked like a Japanese horror antagonist.

"Hikari, any good ideas?" Miuna yelled from the back, her legs getting tired from fast walking. Poor Mizaki was flustered and confused, at the same time terrified at the whole situation. She grasped onto Miuna's hand tightly and cut off some circulation.

Hikari scratched the back of his head with his free hand and sharply turned a corner into Saya Market. Everyone had no choice but to follow him into the shop.

"Hello! Welcome- eh? Hikari?" Shun stumbled backwards to dodge the stampede of teenagers that burst through the front door. "What the hell? What are you guys doing," he hissed. Hikari released Manaka's hand and wiped the sweat from his temples.

"H…Help us, Sayama," Hikari wheezed out, "we need to get away from this crazy lady who's going to be coming here in less than two minutes." Shun crossed his arms and chuckled. "That sounds like a cliché for a scary movie or something. What do you want me to do?"

Miuna went over to the front door took a glimpse outside. She felt her heart skip a beat.

"Saya-san! Please just say that we're not here! No matter what!"

Miuna and the rest fled towards the back of the store, leaving a flabbergasted Shun.

"Eh? You guys, wait a minute!"

Shun grumbled under his breath and shook his head. A second later, he heard a tapping on the glass door.

"Er, coming!"

He jogged over and nearly jumped back at the sight before him. A breathless woman with wet, tangled hair stood at the front of the store, her back hunched and a murderous gleam in her eyes. Hesitantly, Shun slowly opened the door and said, "H-hello, welcome. May I, um, help you?"

From the break room behind the counter of the market, Sayu peeked her head out the door and observed the two.

"What's happening out there, Sayu," Hikari whispered. Sayu strained her ear out and tried to hone in the conversation.

"Were there…were there middle schoolers who just went into this store? Particularly a whole group of Shioshishio kids," Tsumugu's mother pushed her way into the store and whipped her head back and forth. Shun nervously shut the door and replied, "Uh, miss. Our store is actually closing up right now, so there couldn't have been any kids that went in here."

"Nice save, Sayama," Hikari said in approval. Miuna hushed him as Sayu waved her hand silently.

"Excuse me, sir. There's no point in lying," Tsumugu's mother slammed her fist onto the front counter, her gaze boring into Shun's eyes. Sayu covered her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from yelling out in surprise. Miuna pulled Sayu down and signaled for everyone else to be quiet. "I'd had enough of this town, and I've only been here for an hour! I have an inkling of who you are, young man. You're the same age as my son, Tsumugu, so I assume that you know who he is."

"Uh, I might know who Tsumugu is. But I don't know the guy too personally," Shun lied, his voice rising in pitch at some parts of his sentence. Tsumugu's mother stalked up to him and jabbed a finger into his chest. "Listen here, boy. I'll give you two options. Either you tell me where those brats are, because I _know_ they are in here, or you give me information on this girl named Chisaki."

Shun licked his dry lips and cowered back a bit. "I…I can't do that. I don't even know who you a-"

"I'm his mother. Do you see me right now?" She bristled. "I'm soaked right now in filthy seawater because of those sea brats! When I get my hands on them, they will wish that they never came out from their habitat."

"That lady needs to get off her high horse! Who does she think she is, insulting us and threatening Sayama? Not even that, but she has the nerve to tell off Tsumugu? What the heck," Hikari angrily growled. Manaka hugged Miuna's arm and whimpered quietly. Miuna patted Manaka's head and mumbled reassuring words in her ear. Sayu crouched down to the rest and crawled next to Mizaki.

"Sorry, Ao-san, for dragging you into this mess. I promise you that you won't get in trouble or anything because of this mishap," Sayu said. Mizaki shook her head and murmured, "It's no big deal. I never would think that Kihara-san's mother would despise the sea so much, considering how Kihara-san was telling me earlier how much he likes the sea."

"Kihara-san, please. I think you should calm down first…" Shun reached towards her, but she suddenly grabbed a shelf of chips and pushed it down to the ground, making the contents fall out.

"Unless you want the rest of your store in ashes, then I would recommend following my command!" Tsumugu's mother stomped on a bag of chips and kicked it to Shun's face. Shun helplessly stumbled back on his butt and looked up at her, petrified.

"Saya-kun!" Manaka tore away from Miuna and ran out of the room. "Manaka!" Hikari sputtered out. He was about to chase after her until Kaname restrain him from doing so.

Manaka sneaked behind the counter and stood behind Tsumugu's mother.

"K-Kihara-san, please stop!" Manaka shouted anxiously. She steadied herself as Tsumugu's mother slowly turned around and laughed.

"Oh my! Finally one of the twerps has revealed themself! Strangely, I would think the other girl with black long hair would come, not you. You look too much of a frightened kitten. It almost makes me feel bad for you," Tsumugu's mother taunted. Manaka shook her head and squeaked, "Kihara-san. I know that what we did to you a few minutes ago was unacceptable, but please forgive us. I promise you that us people from Shioshishio aren't bad!"

"Shut up, little girl. You don't know how bad your people are," Tsumugu's mother walked up to Manaka's face and spat, "Do you know why I don't like the sea? Why I want to take Tsumugu away from here?"

"Now she's going to tell us the reason," Kaname snorted in disbelief. Hikari made an exaggerated muffle noise in agreement.

"Listen close, girl, because I'm only going to say this once," Tsumugu's mother placed herself away from Manaka and sat down on the counter with her legs crossed.

"Imagine this. Once upon a time, your husband's father stole your son away from you and brainwashed him to think that whatever his mother says is wrong. Let me tell you something. I didn't hate the sea at first. No, in fact, I was interested in it. Now, when I was in high school in the city, I met Tsumugu's father. He was a fine man, and it was the first time I ever became acquainted with someone from the sea. When we dated, he took me to Oshiooshi and introduced me to all of his friends. I believed they were nice people, and I thought they accepted me," Tsumugu's mother paused and she closed her eyes. "But then…one day, when I visiting and went out to buy some juice, I saw his friends near the shore. I ran over there to greet them and say hello, but as I came closer to them, I picked up on their conversation. They were making fun of me and insulting me, calling me names like land monkey and pig. I cried at my husband's house for hours. The people I thought were accepting and nice were the complete opposite."

"The next day, I told my husband and he confronted them. They turned on him and told him that he was not welcomed anymore to the sea unless he dumped me. They said that sea people who date land people are traitors and that they should never come back. My husband was torn. I never saw him that broken up before. Imagine the friends you've been with since you were little, the people that you consider family, suddenly becoming strangers. Us land people and you sea people…we were never meant to be together. I learned it the hard way, and the same with my husband. I don't want my son to endure what we endured, especially what my husband felt. Betrayal."

Manaka held back the tears that formed in her eyes and sniffled, "Kihara-san…" She wiped the stray tears that leaked from the side of her eyes and said, "It's not like how it was back then. In fact, I know a couple that are happily married. One is from the sea and the other from the surface. Please don't try to tear Tsumugu-kun and Chii-chan away from each other. He really loves Chii-chan."

"Did you not just hear what I said, girl?" Tsumugu's mother shot off the counter and grabbed onto Manaka's shoulders roughly. "It won't be smooth sailing! There will _always_ be people that will disapprove of my son! He does not deserve that crap from them! I will not allow my well-behaved, nice, kind son get criticized by them!" She dug her nails into her shoulders and shook her. Manaka yelped out in pain.

"Manaka," Miuna stood up and ran to Manaka, despite the protest from Sayu and Hikari. "Don't hurt her!"

"Hm? Oh, another rodent showed itself," she released Manaka and glared at Miuna, "actually, who are you? You reek of the sea, but you lack the eyes."

Miuna inhaled deeply, in an attempt to control her nerves.

"I am Shiodome Miuna, Kihara-san. I am a half breed," Miuna started. "I know how you're feeling. When my mother passed away, I hated the sea. My step-mom, who's also from the sea, was a friend of my late mother and took care of me when I was all by myself. Five years ago, her and my father married each other. I didn't like it when they were dating because I felt like she was replacing my mom. Later, with the help of Hikari, I learned that I loved her, but I don't have to forget my birth mom. What I'm saying is that although it was hard accepting a relationship between a sea person and a surface person, everyone will accept it from both sides if they truly love each other."

Miuna lowered her head and exhaled, feeling both satisfied with her explanation and a bit embarrassed. Manaka watched as Tsumugu's mother sauntered over to Miuna, like a snake.

She slapped Miuna across the face, the sound reverberated over the walls in the store.

"Miuna-chan!" Manaka dashed over, but Tsumugu's mother pushed her away from Miuna. Hikari and the others exited from the break room and surrounded the older woman.

"What the hell? Are you crazy? Stay away from her," Hikari threatened, his eyes sharp and deadly. "What are you going to do, dear? I don't have to listen to any of your guy's crap! You don't know _anything_ , do you? I'm so glad your mother and father had a great ending," Tsumugu's mother mocked Miuna. "Do you know something, though? I only told you half of the story."

Kaname tried to edge his way to the back of Tsumugu's mother, but she quickly picked up Miuna by her arm and placed her in a chokehold. "One more step and I'm going to harm this girl!"

"No! Stop it, please," Sayu cried out in distress. She glanced over to Hikari, but he was as scared as everyone else in the room. Kaname held his hands in the air and calmly said, "Please, let's not do anything too rash."

She twisted her body around the room and shouted, "If any of you try to get close, I'm going to hurt her!" Miuna tried to pry the woman's grip from her throat, but she only tightened it further. It was becoming harder and harder to breath.

"H…Hikari," Miuna choked out. Hikari stared, his face contorted in frustration and pain. "God dammit! You're crazy! Can you only hear yourself when you talk?" Hikari barked. Everything slowed down even further when she lifted Miuna up and cut off more of her air supply. Miuna cried out, her voice strained. Mizaki broke down and crouched, her hands over her ears. Sayu screamed as she watched her best friend slowly being strangled. Shun, Manaka, Hikari, and Kaname were stuck in place, being unable to find an opening to ambush her.

"No, no, no. Please, don't do this," Hikari slammed his fists into the counter and hung his head. "Stop it! Stop it!" He wailed.

The sound of bells clinging interrupted Hikari before he could say more. The noise in the small market stopped as Shun whirled his head around, his ears used to the sound of the bells. It was the sound of a costumer entering the market. And that 'costumer' was Tsumugu.

The door behind him closed, emitting the same sound of bells ringing. Tsumugu swaggered over to his mother, who backed away from him.

"Stay away, Tsumugu! Or else I'll hurt this girl," Tsumugu ignored her and grabbed onto her arm. He broke her grip on Miuna and pushed his mother onto the ground while catching Miuna. Miuna wheezed and gasped for air, her body being supported by Tsumugu.

He trudged to the counter, picked Miuna up and placed her back on the hard surface. Sayu was the first to run over to her and hug her.

"I was so worried!" Sayu buried her face into her shoulder. Tsumugu swung his body back to where his mother was, his bangs covering his eyes from the rest. His mother rubbed her right knee, her tights ripped and showed that her knee was bruised from the fall.

"You ungrateful child," she chided him, "how dare you treat your mother like this!" Tsumugu clenched his fists and stopped in front of her.

"You're nothing to me anymore," he snarled. "I never thought that you would be this extreme and hurt an innocent middle schooler. What is wrong with you?" Once he realized that his mother wasn't going to say anything back, he looked over to Manaka.

"Mukaido, are you alright?" His gruff voice barely reached her ears as she shook out of her daze. "Yes! I'm fine, Tsumugu-kun. Where's Chii-chan? Did you ever find her?"

As if on cue, Chisaki burst through the front door and stopped shortly behind Tsumugu.

"Tsumugu, I called Grandpa and he said he's at the house…what's going on in here? It looks like a fight just happened!" Chisaki exclaimed. She glared over to Hikari, who squealed, "Hey, it wasn't me!"

Kaname jogged around the counter and said, "Chisaki, we need you to look at Miuna. She got badly injured by Kihara-san." Chisaki gasped and immediately ran to Miuna's side. Miuna offered her a weak smile but winced when she breathed in. "Oh my. Your neck is red! What happened in here," Chisaki examined her neck and frowned. Tsumugu bent down and grabbed onto his mother's wrists.

"You're coming with us to Gramp's house. You're not dragging anyone else in this drama." She struggled to remove his hands from her wrists, but decided to follow his orders. "I'm sorry, everyone, for this. I never meant to leave you guys with my responsibility. You guys can go home now and leave the rest of this to me and Chisaki."

Hikari crossed his arms and slid across the counter to face Tsumugu. "No way, man! We're going with you to make sure everything is cleared up. I'm not allowing your mom to think it's all right to hurt Miuna. I'm making sure she gets a proper punishment for it," he cracked his knuckles and gave Tsumugu's mother a sinister glare.

Tsumugu merely nodded and helped his mother stand up on her feet. "Hikari, why is my mom soaking wet?" Tsumugu asked nonchalantly. Hikari shivered and cheekily mumbled, "Er, well. Things kind of went down when you left. I, um, pushed your mom into the water." Hikari flinched back as Tsumugu walked over to him, but relaxed when he just passed him.

"Don't think you're getting away with that, Hikari," Tsumugu called out over his shoulder before he opened the glass door. "Oh, Saya. I'll pay for whatever products my mom ruined. Give me the bill later. I'll be waiting outside, you guys."

Shun dust off the crushed chips from his shoulder and grinned. "Don't worry, Tsumugu! It's no big deal. Besides, you seem like you have a lot to worry about." Shun glanced over to Chisaki and Miuna. "Chisaki, I can give you and Miuna a lift over to Tsumugu's house. I can probably take Tsumugu and his mother too, and two others."

"Oh, but then who's going to be left behind," Chisaki asked. Kaname looked over to Sayu, who was busy trying to comfort Mizaki and raised his hand. "I will. We need to take Ao-chan back to her house. I think she witnessed enough for today. Sayu-chan, come with me?"

"H-huh? Oh, yeah. I'll stay behind with Kaname and Ao-san. Octopus head. Manaka-san. Go with Miuna and make sure she gets treated. Miuna, I'll be there with you soon," Sayu nudged Mizaki up on her feet and guided her to the door. Chisaki noted how frightened and terrified the girl was.

" _It must have been quite a scene,"_ Chisaki thought. "Hikari, help carry Miuna out. Get ready in the car, Manaka. Thanks a lot, Sayama-kun. Seriously, you helped us out yesterday too."

Shun wholeheartedly laugh and said, "It's no problem. Honestly, it feels like five years ago when we were in middle school. Everyday back then was as eventful as today!"

Isamu took a sip of his plum wine from his glass and placed it down on the coaster. He observed the sun as it settled down, the small breeze that blew by, and the silence. He enjoyed the silence for another moment until he heard the noise of a car engine approaching.

"Ah. She always brought some excitement whenever she comes into town," Isamu mumbled as he shakily stood up and grabbed his cane that laid against the wall. He walked over to the front of the house and opened the door. Sure enough, two minutes later, a familiar white pickup truck drove up to the house. Isamu waited as Shun exited out of the driver's seat and went to the back while Hikari went out of the passenger's seat. A few moments later, Chisaki appeared while holding up the front half of Miuna with Shun carrying her feet. Tsumugu, his mother, and Manaka were the last to appear from the truck.

"Welcome," Isamu muttered out as Chisaki and Shun entered the house. "Grandpa, Miuna-chan is going to be using the guest room to rest," Chisaki informed him. Isamu grunted in reply and turned back to the rest. Tsumugu and his mother climbed into the house, neither of them greeting Isamu. Isamu bowed his head as they passed him. Finally, Hikari and Manaka reached the front of the house.

"Hello, Grandpa," Manaka greeted. Isamu nodded his head and stepped out of the way for the two teens to pass by. "It's nice to see you again, little girl. How have you been doing," Isamu grumbled back. Manaka scratched the back of her head timidly. "I think I've fully recovered. I can commute from the sea and the surface like before. My ena has gotten strong again."

The upper half of Tsumugu's body reappeared from the dining room and beckoned Hikari and Manaka to come. Manaka bid Isamu goodbye and dragged a reluctant Hikari with her to Tsumugu.

"Hikari, I'm sorry about Miuna. I never thought things would get that crazy," was the first thing that came out of Tsumugu's mouth when Hikari entered the room.

"Don't worry about that. It wasn't your fault. More like, it was mine if I hadn't acted so brash. I'm glad you were able to find Chisaki," Hikari nudged Tsumugu's arm and raised his brow. "Did you guys make up?"

"In more ways than one," Tsumugu admitted quietly. "I got to meet her parents and such…and a lot of the town folk."

"You met Auntie and Uncle? That's great, they're really nice people! They always took care of me whenever I came over Chii-chan's house," Manaka explained with zeal.

"What are you guys blabbering about now," Chisaki entered the room with Isamu, her face slightly red. "Did you tell them what happened at my house?"

"No, I didn't," Tsumugu quickly countered. Hikari eyed the two, clearly curious about what they were referring to. He shook his head and spoke up. "Hey, when you two are done having your lovers quarrel, can we please deal with _her_."

Hikari leered at where Tsumugu's mother was sitting. She was now dry, but her black tights were ripped at various places and the business skirt and blouse she had was wrinkled and disarrayed. She glared at Hikari, but said nothing.

"Where's Sayama at?" Tsumugu glanced behind Chisaki, but she shook her head at him. "He's not coming. He left as soon as Miuna-chan was treated and given some medicine to help with the pain." Manaka sadly looked down. "Miuna-chan…"

"Mom, Gramps. There are some things that we need to talk about." Isamu lowered his head and gripped his crane tighter. "If this is about how I informed your mother of yesterday's incident, then it is true. I told her about it," he sighed. "I can't believe that neither you or Chisaki told me about it. Akari had to call me to tell me that you got in a fight with the two boys."

"I was going to tell you, but you weren't here yesterday. You didn't even tell me that you were going to the hospital for a check up," Chisaki responded. "You still could have called me with the phone. Anyways, I'm sure this isn't what you want to argue about, is it, Tsumugu?" Isamu grew more aggressive with his tone of voice as he rested his eyes on his grandson.

"Gramps, why did you tell my mom about it? She doesn't need to know about my life. She hasn't been there for the last five years. Why does it matter now?"

Isamu calmly inhaled and replied, "Tsumugu, even if your mom hasn't been a prominent figure in your life, it doesn't mean she isn't your mother. Every mother should know what is going on with her son. I'm sorry, Tsumugu, but I did what I thought was right."

Hikari felt Manaka squeeze his arm and look up at him in fear. He placed his other hand over hers and gave her a reassuring smile. The more each side talk, the louder and rougher their speeches became. _"Manaka was never really good with handling tough situations,"_ Hikari observed. Tsumugu rubbed his face in frustration and carefully asked, "Did you know that she was going to be coming here? Today?"

Isamu nodded his head.

"Yes, I did."

"And she told you that she was coming here today to take me back to the city?"

"Yes, Tsumugu. Why don't you hear it from your mom instead of badgering and getting angry at me?" It was clear Tsumugu's questions were infuriating the old man.

"Fine." Tsumugu stared over to his mom, who sat at one of the dining tables, and asked, "Mom, please tell me why you don't like my friends? Is it because they're from the sea? If that's so, that's a really weak reason to hate someone you don't even know."

Hikari marveled at Tsumugu. He had _never_ seen Tsumugu as angry as he was right at that moment, besides that one time when Hikari bugged Tsumugu to pretend to like Manaka so she could love again. Tsumugu's mother acted as though Tsumugu's rage was like dealing with an annoyed kitten and brushed him off. "I really hate it when I have to repeat things over and over again. Hey, red hair girl," she pointed at a bewildered Manaka and snapped her fingers, "Tell him what I told you earlier. At the store."

Manaka shakily pointed at herself. "M-me?" Tsumugu's mother rolled her eyes and hissed, "Oh who else has red hair? Honestly." She stopped when she saw Tsumugu glare at her, but still continued to sneer at Manaka. Manaka gulped and meekly mumbled, "Kihara-san doesn't like the sea because of…complicated reasons, Tsumugu-kun."

"Complicated?"

Manaka hummed out a response. "Yeah. Um, I'm not good at fully explaining things, but in short, when your father and your mother dated, the people at Shioshishio didn't like your mother and then they didn't like your father when he sided with her." Hikari shook his head at Manaka's disjointed explanation and hastily added, "No. Let's cut to this lady's reason for being here. She doesn't want you to date Chisaki because she's afraid that everyone from Shioshi will hate you."

Tsumugu's mother clapped her hands together and gave Hikari a fake smile. "Wow, good job, little boy! You're as obedient and smart as a dog! You even smell and act like one, you savage." Hikari smiled sweetly at her and took a bow. "Oh, no problem, Kihara-san. You know, you remind me of a barnyard pig. Loud, annoying, and greasy." Hikari stuck his tongue out and made a V shape with his right hand.

"Anyways," Tsumugu ignored their offhanded argument, "Mom, you don't need to worry about me. Things have changed since your time. Hikari's sister is happily dating someone from the sea and their son and daughter both had ena, meaning that it's possible for children born of someone from the sea and from the land can carry on Shioshishio heritage. There's no reason for them to hate me and vice versa. I even went there and everyone was nice."

"Wait, you _went_ down there?" Tsumugu's mother gaped at her son. "How? Did you scuba dive? No, there's no way since the current's too strong…" Tsumugu glanced over to his three friends before twisting his arm to show off his inner forearm. Under the light of the now orange sun, his skin shimmered. "You have _ena?_ Tsumugu, you have it?" Tsumugu's mother repeated over and over again, her eyes wide. Isamu let off a small chuckle and smiled. "His father is from the sea, and so is his grandfather. Although it's a bit hard to believe, Tsumugu does have ena."

"I still can't believe it. It doesn't matter, though! Whatever they're telling you children, it's only part of the truth. The kid has ena? That's great, but what they really want is true-bred children! No matter how much one person changed, it doesn't change everyone," Tsumugu's mother glared at Hikari and asked, "Are you Hikari?" Hikari pursed his lips and cockily said, "Yeah, that's me."

"Your sister is married to someone from the land, right? That's crap. Things must have been hard at first, right? She got kicked out of the village?" Hikari faltered at bit at her knowledge about their traditions. "Er, yeah. Only at first! After a while, everyone accepted my sister and her children! They're even allowed to go into Shioshi." Tsumugu's mother's eyes wandered over Hikari's entire body and she suddenly asked, "You look like a child of someone I used to know. Is your last name Sakishima?"

"What? How did you know that," Hikari was genuinely surprise that she was able to guess his last name. With a small bitter, but not resentful smile, Tsumugu's mother breathed out, "I knew your father. He was on his way becoming the chef of the village when I was young. He didn't do anything about the whole village hating on me, but at the same time he didn't team up with everyone and bashed on my husband and I. Anyways, your sister doesn't count. It's because she's the daughter of the chef, so of course no one is going to try to oppose."

A silence engulfed the entire room; neither Hikari nor Tsumugu's mother spoke up afterwards. Manaka felt Hikari's arm tense and relaxed, his face unsure on how to respond.

"…You're Chisaki, right?" Chisaki swiftly looked at Tsumugu's mother and yelped, "Yeah, that's me!" It was the first time that she had ever talked with his mother, and the feud between Hikari and her sort of scared her. Tsumugu pushed himself in front of his mother and shook his head.

"Mom, don't you dare threaten Chisaki," Tsumugu warned. His mother waved him off and gave him a weary sigh. "Tsumugu, I won't. Let me at least talk to the girl that is your supposed girlfriend, okay?" Chisaki bravely stepped forward and touched Tsumugu's back. He flinched and instantly turned around. "It's okay, Tsumugu. Let her talk."

Under the palm of Chisaki's hand, she felt how warm and slightly sweaty he was. Upon closer inspection, she saw how his bangs stuck to his forehead and how his lips were parted a bit, his breath short and quick. "Tsumugu, you're getting too work up," Chisaki scolded as she brought his face down to her eye level and wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve. "Don't worry about me. Calm down." Chisaki gently pushed Tsumugu to the side, next to Hikari and Manaka, and faced Tsumugu's mother.

Her heart pounded against her ears, but Chisaki was determined to look presentable in front of her. "This is the first time I've heard of you, Chisaki. I remember you from back then, however, you were younger. A lot younger, probably the same age as red hair girl there." Manaka quietly whimpered, "It's Manaka, but okay…"

Chisaki licked her lips and nodded her head. "Yes, I remember you too, Kihara-san. Actually, Manaka and Hikari are my childhood friends from Shioshishio, along with another one of our friends named Kaname. We met Tsumugu during our second year in middle school." Tsumugu's mother cocked a brow and exclaimed, "Wait, you all were in the same class together in middle school? Now that you mention it, why isn't red- I mean, Manaka still looking like she did all those years ago?"

"Er, well…" Chisaki fiddled with her pointer fingers and silently cursed Tsumugu for making her explain. "Five years ago, we had the Ofunehiki and everyone in Shioshi hibernation besides…me. I was the only one left behind besides Akari-san, Hikari's sister, and a few others who were already living on the surface." Isamu coughed and pounded his crane on the floor. "I took Chisaki in during that time," he added.

"W-wait, so you and Tsumugu dated and l-lived under the same roof for five years?"

"No!" Tsumugu and Chisaki screamed at the same time. Chisaki grumbled a few words before saying, "N-no, Kihara-san. We actually only started a month ago, when everyone woke up from the hibernation. Please don't get any wrong idea about us. We haven't done anything."

Hikari crossed his arms. "Mhhhmm." He hummed suggestively. Tsumugu smacked him in the back of the head while simultaneously Manaka punched him in the stomach. Tsumugu's mother had a faint blush on her face as she fixed her posture and continued.

"You probably think I'm going to chew you out, but I want you to know that I'm not usually that…mean. I'm just looking out for my son in an 'I want to ruin your life' sort of way. Or at least that's how I think he views it. Honestly, I see nothing wrong with you, Chisaki. Actually, the only one I see has problems is Hikari."

"What did I do wrong? You started it!" Hikari huffed childishly. "What I said is true. Yes, maybe it worked with Hikari's sister. You want to know why? Because she's probably the only exception. Take it from me personally. It may seem like everyone is fine with you two being together, but secretly they don't accept it, especially old men. They're crazy about keeping full-bred generations. You and Tsumugu aren't too far from thinking about having kids. Once you mention that you want kids to everyone, you will never be allowed back."

Like a dam, everyone started to talk at once.

"What the hell, Mom? What did I just say?"

"Hey, stop acting like you know everything! What if my sister is the daughter of the chef? It still means that they accepted it!"

"Hii-kun, Tsumugu-kun, please stop!"

Manaka held both of the enraged boys back in a feeble attempt to stop them.

Tsumugu's mother got up and placed a hand onto Chisaki's shoulder.

"Listen to me. Stop now, Chisaki. If you're like my son, and you love the sea, then you would stop this hopeless love right now. Unless you're willing to leave your home and literally everything for him, then you have my blessing. But please, for the sake of yours and Tsumugu's, stop. You're going to anger more than what you think."

She released her hand and looked at the ruckus in front of her. Tsumugu's mother gave Tsumugu a regretful and sorrowful glance before walking pass them and Isamu, who waited by the hallway.

"Tsumugu, I'm leaving now. I think you're expecting an apology from me, and I believe that you deserve it too. I'm sorry for going crazy and hurting that girl in the process. I'm also sorry for misjudging your friends and especially Chisaki. However, I do not regret misjudging Hikari because, well, there was nothing I misjudged there. He's the definition of an octopus' sludge."

Hikari howled in frustration and cursed her under his breath. Tsumugu's mother smiled and bowed her head.

"Tsumugu, I'm sorry for being a horrible mother to you. I promise you this won't be the last time I will be visiting you…here, at Oshiooshi. Goodbye, everyone."

The last thing Tsumugu saw of his mother was her teary eyes, and for a moment he was tempted to chase after her. Hikari extended his arm out and glared at him.

"Don't. If you do, she might take everything back, including allowing you to stay here." Hikari swayed over to Chisaki and patted her back multiple times. "At first, Tsumugu's mother seemed like a…female dog, but by the end of the day, she's alright. Like, she's still considered a pig to me, but I can see where she's coming from. Right, Chisaki? Chisaki? Helloooo?"

Hikari turned to Manaka and Tsumugu and shrugged, clearly unaware on what was going through Chisaki's head. It was like a sandstorm erupted out of nowhere in her mind, random bits and pieces of Tsumugu's mother's words flying by at a thousand miles per hour. It took Hikari's constant whining, Manaka's desperate cries, and finally, Tsumugu shaking her to snap her out of it.

"Chisaki! Oh my god, we were all starting to freak out," Hikari yelled. Tsumugu pulled her close to him and mumbled, "Are you okay? Don't let her words get to you." Chisaki mustered a small smile and said, "Of course. Sorry, I was just thinking about Miuna-chan."

"Don't lie to me," Tsumugu berated, but pulled her to a hug. He didn't press after that, but deep down in his heart, he knew that it was bothering her. Hikari laughed awkwardly and cried, "Don't worry, Chisaki. By tomorrow, this will blow off and you won't ever think about it ever again. It's the weekend tomorrow, so we should head somewhere. All of us, that is, if Miuna is healed up and ready to go."

Chisaki giggled against Tsumugu and by then, she knew that everything would be fine, just like what Hikari had said.

Isamu stood in the dark corridor in the hallway, his eyes closed and his heart heavy.

Kaname and Sayu walked side by side as the sun finally set and the moon came to replace its counterpart. Kaname extended a hand out and caught saltflake snow midair.

"It's getting cold again, huh, " he mentioned offhandedly. Sayu looked up at the sky and saw as more snow fell at a steady rate. "Yeah, you're right. Strange, I thought that it was starting to warm up. The weather's been getting chilly again." Kaname chuckled as Sayu sneezed and hastily wiped her nose. "I know. I was looking forward to wearing my summer clothing too."

Off in the distance, small voices echoed off the seawater and into the ears of the two middle schoolers. Kaname peered off to the sea and saw three old men near the pier. There was a strong scent of liquor and smoke, and as they approached closer, Kaname could see empty bottles and discarded cigarettes littered everywhere.

"Those men are from Shioshishio," Kaname commented. "Sorry, but could we slow down a bit. I want to hear what they're talking about." Sayu willingly listened to Kaname and slowed her pace to match his.

"Man, today is something! For one, the water is getting saltier each day! It's gotten to the point where I don't even have to season my eggs in the morning!" The two other men laughed and hit each other in the back.

"Nah, nah! How about that boy from the surface? He's old man Kihara's boy! You know, the fisherman? Ain't it crazy how he was ena?" One of the men stumbled out.

"I heard he's dating Chisaki-chan. That's unbelievable and downright disappointing. She's such a good girl! Damn those surface people, taking our women again! At this rate, they're going to kill us!"

"Pft, not unless this weather will," the man with a scrubby beard joked. They all laughed and hiccupped as they continued to insult the land some more. Kaname sighed and grabbed Sayu's hand. He ran far from the three old men and only stopped when they could no longer hear them.

"Sorry. Just ignore them. They're just some of the few who are stubborn," Kaname panted. Sayu blushed and shook her head. "It's okay. I know that they don't fully mean what they say."

Kaname grinned and squeezed her hand, to which she returned enthusiastically.

"Let's hurry up and go to Tsumugu's house. We have to tell them how Mizaki-chan tripped over the steps to her house and fell face first into a pile of snow!" He tugged at her hand and started to run again, this time faster. Sayu felt light as she ran, the hand he was holding becoming degrees hotter as she shouted, "That's mean to Ao-san! Hey, are you even listening to me? You never listen!"

* * *

 **And there we have it! Done with this long overdue chapter that is beyond 16,000 words! Dang! So, I made Tsumugu's mother sort of bitchy and irrational because of plot development! And in the anime, Tsumugu was really curt and awkward with her, so I wanted her to be this sort of control freak. All in all, I felt pretty good about her character. Maybe a bit too extreme, but meh, whatever.**

 **It was fun doing the Tsumugu/Chisaki scene, and I would expect her mom to be the kind of mom who would encourage her daughter to be romantic to be with her boyfriend and has a** ***slightly* dirty mind. But only a little, LOL. And her father would be the awkward, not sure on how to talk to his daughter about love, kind of dad.**

 **You probably think adding Mizaki was random and…it kind of was XD. She's just there for drama. Don't worry; she won't be coming and stealing Tsumugu away.**

 **I like to play with the format a bit with the story and see how other people add detail and break the structure up, so it may seem different from the previous chapters. And yes, chapters 2-4 are all in one day. DAMN. Haha, the next one will be a different day.**

 **Um, I apologize with overusing some words and such. It's hard explaining and describing scenes while using different verbs, adjectives, and etc. The next update will hopefully be coming in a week or two, maybe not as long as this one, but at least over six thousand words! Look forward to that!**

 **Do you want to know the progress of the next chapter? Look in my bio and check it out there! I will update the progress of the chapter I'm currently working on daily so you will know if I'm fifty percent done or twenty. Stuff like that!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **On the next part: The crew decides to spend the day together at Shioshishio and on Tsumugu's boat. A piece of clothing comes off, Hikari nose bleeds again, and then something happens out at sea! (Don't worry, this story is still rated T so nothing you guys are thinking about ;) )**

 **Extra Stuff!**

 **Hey, you guys! My friend and I did a recording of a song called "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran! If you're bored or interested, listen to it! I play the main guitar and my friend is the one who's singing! The other instruments are taken from the original song. I'll put the link in my bio, so have fun listening! I'm out!**


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